


The Journey of a Thousand Miles and the First Six Steps

by Queenfighterfly



Series: Xiaolin Showdown: 2019 Chronicles [1]
Category: Xiaolin Showdown (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2019-10-20 23:17:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 39,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17631617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queenfighterfly/pseuds/Queenfighterfly
Summary: Thousands of years ago, a furious battle was waged between the great and noble Xiaolin Dragon Dashi and the evil Heylin witch Wuya. This was the first Xiaolin Showdown. Wuya pitted her dark magic against Dashi and his mystical power objects, the Shen Gong Wu.In the end, Dashi triumphed, and Wuya was forever imprisoned in a simple wooden puzzle box. The threat averted, Dashi spread his Shen Gong Wu around the earth.For generations, they have secretly maintained the balance of good and evil. And a long line of Xiaolin Dragons has stood ready to face evil, should that balance ever shift.{A reimagining of the original Xiaolin Showdown show, including new characterizations, new original characters (heroes and villains alike), modernized storytelling, and new Shen-Gong-Wu.}





	1. Water

_Water is among one of the most powerful of all the elements, as well as the most versatile._

_It holds the potential to create and support the lives of millions, through the gentle streams, rivers and lakes that fill our glasses and wells, and the demure rain that gives life for the flora and fauna of the world._

_It also holds the potential to destroy the lives in millions, through the mightiest of floods and tsunamis that could demolish skyscrapers and eradicate cities._

_The Dragon of Water must be diligent, studious, and responsible, and must take great care not to indulge in excess of their own power._

_Lest that power destroy themselves and those around them, where it could help them and the world to thrive and flourish as it is intended._

* * *

 

Deep in the forested mountains of Eastern China where few ever traveled, a single road led over the hills and through the wood to an ancient temple known quite simply as the Dashi Xiaolin Temple. It was quite large and spacious, built for many, but currently only housed the older master of the temple, a handful of elderly monks, their single caretaker, and one lone child. On that single late afternoon that would dawn the biggest change to the little boy’s life, dark grey clouds had moved over the temple to blanket it in a heavy rain. All of the monks and the caretaker had retreated inside for the day, but young twelve-year-old Omi had not, having instead chosen to remain perched in a crane stance on top of the short bridge arching over a small river that cut through their garden.

Omi was a very short-statured boy of Chinese descent, with a soft, slightly yellow tan, his hair shaved off completely as the monks before him had. Simple red silken robes tied back with a black sash, black pants and black shoes were all completely soaked by the rain, though it all rolled off his skin, the cold and wet going completely ignored by the focused and disciplined young monk, who remained frozen and undeterred by Mother Nature. The lightning that crackled up above and the thunder that rolled over his head registered, but as little more than a sensation, as all of his focus was poured into his core.

His dark eyes kept closed, he had found himself in a sort of meditative state long before the rain had rolled over, and he could feel his inner chi steadying into an intense, deep focus. It was a feeling he was all but used to by this point in his short lifetime but nonetheless filled him with this unexplainable blend of power and tranquility. A feeling only especially talented monks would be able to experience at his age. After his many years of training, he knew in his heart and gut when the proper time to commence with his kata would be.

Finally, after a long while spent in deep meditation and concentration, Omi’s soft dark eyes opened and he leaped from the bridge into the grass beside the river bank. He darted down the stone path, dashed through the nearby meditation gazebo, headed towards the courtyard, and jumped from the first step down, flipping once forward midair and landing squarely on his feet, his eyes locked forward and hand outstretched with his fingers arched outwards.

Why did something feel off? His stance and form were perfect, he stuck the landing he had been struggling with for so long, so why was this feeling so strange to him? Somehow it didn't feel like he landed exactly where he was supposed to...

Thin eyebrows pinched his brow together as Omi frowned down to the wet grass under his feet with a sour look for a moment. Somehow, it didn’t feel like it was good enough. It wasn’t perfect. It needed to be _perfect,_ as he expected of himself given his predetermined destiny...

“Omi.”

His eyes shot up as he heard a familiar male voice call his name. Glancing to the nearby open door leading into the living area of the temple with only his wide, surprised eyes, his two caretakers stood by; Master Fung and Vo Linh, both looking to him patiently.

Master Fung was a tall just-past-middle-age man, with a black moustache, goatee and bushy eyebrows on his wrinkled face being the only hair on him one could see. White and black robes nearly mirrored Omi’s in style save for the blue tunic, his hands hidden in his large, long sleeves. Bright blue eyes watched Omi patiently from the doorway.

Vo Linh was a taller, slender young woman of her mid-30’s of Vietnamese descent, short dark brown hair perfectly framing her beautiful, thin and pale skinned face. Thin eyebrows perched from amusement in his direction, her kind, dark black eyes and patient smile silently calling for him as Master Fung did so verbally. Instead of the same robes as either Omi, Master Fung, or the other monks who lived at the temple, she wore a bright pink-and-white, floral, long-sleeved silk Vietnamese [ Áo Dài](https://globalstorybook.org/ao-dai-pride-vietnamese-culture/).

“It’s time to come inside now,” Master Fung continued once he was sure he had Omi’s attention.

“But Master Fung,” Omi argued with a sharp and firm tone of voice, looking down to where his feet were positioned now. “I _must_ perfect my Lotus Strike as soon as possible.”

“Omi, dearest, you have been training your techniques all morning and afternoon,” Linh chuckled behind her sleeve with a small shake of her head. “And your Lotus Strike’s form was flawless.”

“Not so.” Omi held a correcting finger up before pointing it down to his feet. “I am supposed to land an eighth of an inch to the right. I am meant to land in the exact center of the path.”

Linh and Master Fung briefly exchanged mutually confused but amused looks with one another as Omi turned to fully face them with his head held high, proud, and of high expectations of himself.

“As a Xiaolin Dragon of the Water, I must strive for absolute perfection.”

“You’re not a Dragon _yet_ , Omi,” Master Fung corrected.

“Perhaps not, but I have been chosen to become one,” Omi continued, folding his arms behind his back and finally smiling over to them. “And that means that I must ensure that I am at a sufficient skill level and that my form and technique is without flaws when I do!”

“It also means having the sense to get out of the rain,” Linh giggled slightly.

At her comment, Omi blinked in surprise and looked around as his senses finally seemed to catch on to the cold and wet of the rain pouring down on top of him again, and the noticeable weight to his drenched robes. A slightly embarrassed flush found a way to his cheeks and neck as he looked down sheepishly.

“Oh. Ooof course.”

“Now come along, young monk,” Master Fung urged again with a wave of his hand inside. “There are things we must discuss with you.”

An eyebrow perking up curiously, Omi obeyed his Master’s summon and hurried to the steps, grabbing ahold of his robe shirt and twisting the water out of it as best as he could as he stepped inside. He paused when Linh passed him a small, warm white towel she had had tucked under her arm. He smiles bashfully, took it with both hands, and bowed his head to her in brief thanks before wrapping it around himself to dry and warm himself.

“Since you mention it, that Lotus Strike _does_ look like it was pulling to the left a little.”

Omi glanced over to the nearby potted planet where the new voice suddenly piped up, where the small, thin green temple dragon lounged amid the branches of the small bonsai tree, giving Omi a playfully teasing smirk. Omi’s face crunched in concern as he looked back up to his caretakers for confirmation on his resurfacing concern. Linh gave him a scolding look in return and lightly swatted at him with her hand, while Master Fung just rose his brow at him in exasperation.

“You hush, Dojo,” Linh chastised the small dragon, who hardly even flinched at her empty threat of a swat. “He’s been doing very well, don’t make him feel unaccomplished.”

“Oh, come on, I’m just teasin’,” Dojo insisted defensively as he leaned away from the harmless wave, leaning back along the sloping branch. “Let a dragon poke fun every once and awhile, will ya?”

“Dojo, I believe you have a scroll you’re supposed to be watching over.” Master Fung’s tone didn’t sound like one of warning, but Omi, Dojo and Linh had known him long enough to be able to tell when he was trying to do so calmly.

Dojo could only roll his eyes and further slouch down his branch.

“Watch it gather dust, maybe,” he sighed slightly. “I’ve been watching that thing for 1500 years and it never does anything besides sit there and get older.”

“You will not be watching over it for much longer, Dojo,” Linh reminded him sharply this time, earning a look of curiosity from Omi. “You can handle it for one more day before you get a break. Go on, now.”

“A’right, a’right, I’m goin’,” Dojo huffed with another roll of his eyes as he slid off of his branch and slithered down the hall away from the three of them until he disappeared around a corner, mumbling and huffing to himself as he went.

Omi watched Dojo until he vanished into another part of the temple, his head tilting slightly as he looked up to his two caretakers with a worried pinch in his brow.

“Dojo is no longer watching the Ancient Scroll of the Shen-Gong-Wu?” His voice was small with concern, his eyes growing large and pitiful as his hands clung to the towel with obvious growing anxiety. “Is he going away?”

Master Fung’s hand found the top of Omi’s head in a reassuring pat, his gentle, patient and warm smiling hoping to be of some comfort to the troubled, misunderstanding young monk.

“Not exactly, young monk,” he correctly, withdrawing his hands into his sleeves after a moment as he started down the hall opposite to the one Dojo went down. “This is what I had been hoping to speak with you about. Dojo and I will be going away for a short while.”

“You are leaving the temple?” Omi called after Master Fung over his shoulder, with tone mixed with surprise and almost a little bit of panic.

“It won’t be for very long, Omi,” Linh reminded him, reaching down to pat his shoulder, turning him around slightly and urging him to follow her and Master Fung as she hurried after the man. “A few weeks, perhaps a month or two. Master Fung and Dojo have a very important task.”

“An important task?” His eyes starstruck and filled with al the wonder of the universe, his hands gripped at the sleeves of her ao-dai, tugging on them with a fervent need to know.“What sort of important task, Co-Linh? Is it the Shen-Gong-Wu? Is it great evil? Has it finally arisen as the scrolls foretold?”

“Not quite, little one,” Linh giggled softly as she continued leading Omi along after Master Fung by her sleeve.

The three of them soon turned into a small room with several bookshelves housing many books and scrolls, a small closed window shielding the small, organized desk from the rain outside, and a single light fixture overhead lighting the room once Master Fung flipped the switch to turn it on. Omi and Linh stayed at the doorway of Master Fung’s study, watching him sit down, pull out one of the top drawers, and pull a small stack of envelopes out from it; about five in total. He waved for Omi to come forward, and looking to the envelopes with a quirked brow, Omi hurried to stand in front of him.

“Omi,” Master Fung started with a new seriousness to his voice. “It was by happenstance that we found you outside of the temple gates, and that you possessed the natural abilities necessary to become the Dragon of the Water someday. But do you know how Dragons in Training are normally chosen?

“No, Master,” Omi denied with a soft shake of his head, hanging on his master’s every word. “You have never told me, nor have any of the other monks...”

“You see, every generation, there are many people around the world have the capabilities to become bonded with the elements of a Dragon warrior,” Master Fung began to explain, his own eyes wandering to the envelopes now. “Dragons, such as Dojo, have the ability to sense this unique energy signifying the capabilities of these unique individuals, and track them to a single location. Once we have found them, we contact them. If they send contact back in return, then it is our duty to go to them, greet them, and aid in their transition to becoming Xiaolin Dragons in training.”

Master Fung passed the five envelopes to Omi, who reached out to take them into his hands. Omi’s eyes crossed over the name on the very first envelop on the top for a moment, ‘ _Toshiro Tohomiko_ ’, before looking back up between Master Fung and Linh again.

“These are the only ones we received in return,” Master Fung concluded.

“So... this means...” Omi’s head shot back squarely onto Master Fung now. “We are going to have new students at the temple?”

“It is likely, yes,” Linh continued for Master Fung this time, earning Omi’s attention as she reached down to pat his head again. “Master Fung and Dojo have to reach out to these people and give them a more in-depth explanation of what we’re offering here, and get a final answer from them in person. But it’s very likely they’ll say yes. Isn’t that exciting, Omi?”

“This...” Omi flipped through the letters to read across the new names now, still struggling to absorb and process this information. ‘ _Pedrosa_ ’, ‘ _Bailey_ ’, ‘ _Baker_ ’, ‘ _Robinson’_... “You mean... I will have someone to teach?!”

Both adults blinked in surprise to Omi’s newfound anticipation and elation as he looked between them with big eyes and the widest grin they’d ever seen on his small pudgy face.

“Omi, that is not quite--”

“Do not worry, Master Fung!” Omi cut off his master as he stuffed the papers back into his hands, putting a hand to his chest with pride before counting off on his fingers. “I shall teach them everything I know! I shall teach them how to walk on walls, and to blend in with the shadows, and to walk only on two fingers, and to balance on only their heads, and to--”

“We’re very glad you’re so excited, Omi,” Linh called above his voice to cut him off, choosing to intervene by grabbing both of his shoulders and turning him around to make him face her forcefully. “That being said, Master Fung and Dojo will be away for a couple of weeks. And when they return, it will be with a few new students to learn and train alongside you.”

“You are to continue your training as usual until our return,” Master Fung explained, earning Omi’s full attention again. “And complete your chores in a timely manner as always. Vo Linh will see that you do.”

His gaze more stern and obedient, Omi gave a studious, dutiful and deep down to his master to ensure that he knew he was listened to and understood.

“Yes, Master Fung. I understand.”

“Now, why don’t you change into some dry robes and wash up for supper?” Linh suggested in a gentle voice, patting Omi’s shoulder again. “We can at least have one more meal together before the two leave tonight.”

“Yes, Co-Linh, I shall,” Omi promised with a dutiful nod as Master Fung stood up from his chair, but before anyone could move to leave, Omi turned to look up to Master Fung with big, innocent eyes. “Master Fung?”

“Yes, Omi?”

“What sort of people will the new students be like?”

“I cannot say for certain until I have met them. But they will likely be unlike anything you may be expecting.” His smile wise and warm, his hand put the papers back down on the desk, found a place on Omi’s shoulder and gave it a few gentle pats. “As is with many of the best things in this life, Omi. I am sure you all will create a strong team, and a stronger friendship, in time.”

Omi’s mouth opened to say something else, but he found that nothing came from him. He simply nodded in understanding and allowed Master Fung to pass him. He felt Linh’s hand find the back of his head as she urged him out of the study. He paused to glance back to the letters on top of the desk, his mind traveling to thoughts of the new students that would be joining his grand but humble temple.  
  
What would they be like? Studious, passionate, intelligent and powerful like him?

Maybe somewhat meeker and milder, in need of guidance?

Rebels in need of a lesson in discipline?

Spitfire warriors who needed to find their footing?

The spiritual and contemplative who needed that fire lit under them?

Well... No matter what kind of students they were, he was certain he could help them find their way in the Xiaolin ways. He gave the letters an excited and confident smile and hurried down the hall to head to the washroom in anticipation for the night’s meal. This was going to change everything.

And what a wondrous change it would be.


	2. Fire

_Fire is a very temperamental element to master._

_Without focus or containment, it runs the risk of burning entire forests to the ground, destroying whole ecosystems, and even decimating entire ecosystems._

_However, with the proper discipline and direction, it can be used to light the way in the darkest of times, warm the coldest of nights or the coldest of hearts, and protect those closest to those who wield it._

_The Dragon of Fire must be completely bonded with their element, to feel the fire within their soul._ _To allow it to run wild, but know when to draw it back in._

_Lest it consume them and everyone around them._

* * *

Tokyo, Japan was, and still is, the most technologically advanced city in the entire world, and fifteen-year-old Tohomiko Kimiko was proud to call it her home.

Since she was a little girl, the young ivory skinned girl had been able to look out over the glittering ocean of colors and lights from her skyscraper bedroom of Tohomiko Electronics, where she and her father had lived together for as long as she could remember. Laying in her wide, fluffy bed in her big, spacious room filled with just about every video game, electronic, or article of clothing a girl could want, with the light of the moon and the city glowing through the floor-to-ceiling windows from outside, always made her feel like something of a princess.

Sitting on her bed with her legs crossed and her brand new state-of-the-art laptop rested in front of her, bright crystal blue eyes locked intensely on the video playing, she carefully followed along with the slow motion hair-style tutorial as she did her best to fashion her back-length black hair into cute twin buns, the image of her best friend Fujioka Keiko in the upper-right corner of the screen. The lightly tanned girl  did her best to keep watch on Kimiko as she brushed her own long dark brown hair.

“ _Kim, your arms are too short to do double-buns,_ ” Keiko tried to argue again with a bemused laugh. “ _And you know you don’t have the patience for something that delicate. Why don’t you just wait for me to come over and do it for you?_ ”

“Keiko, I can’t exactly rely on you coming over to Beijing every morning to do my hair for me,” Kimiko insisted, holding her breath in frustration as she did her best to gently twist her hair around in the proper manner to fashion the bun properly. “I gotta learn to do this by myself.”

“ _If this works out,_ ” Keiko reminded her with a roll of coal black eyes.

“Oh, it’s  _gonna_ work out.” Kimiko held the bun in place and reached down to rewind the video by just a few seconds, an agitated pinch in her brow as she tried to maintain her composure. “The guy’s supposed to be coming tonight to give me the entire run-down and make extra sure I really wanna go, so it’s just all on me saying yes.”

“ _Yeah, that’s the other thing..._ ” Keiko put her brush down and started twisting her hair behind her to start on her own braid, concern in her face and tone now. “ ** _Are_  ** _you sure you really wanna do this?_ ”

“For the hundredth time Keiko,  _yes_ \--ugh!!” Kimiko grunted loudly as her insistant head-nod jostled the bun out of alignment, causing her hair to fall back down behind her all over again.

“ _Breath, Kimi, breath_ ,” Keiko reminded her when she noticed Kimiko’s fists slam down onto both knees, her arms starting to shiver in anger and impatience. “ _You’re probably really nervous right now, maybe just try something simpler but still equally cute for now, okay?_ ”

Her friend’s voice pulling her back down, Kimiko took in her words and slowly took a deep breath in through her nose, and another out through her mouth. She did this three more times before heaving out one last sigh of defeat and leaning forward to start looking up another type of bun on Google, just to get some inspiration. Noticing Keiko giving her a raised eyebrow in the corner, Kimiko rolled her eyes away from the screen anxiously for a second.

“Okay, you’re right, I guess I  _am_ a little on edge,” Kimiko finally admitted as her shoulders sunk, wincing with a lack of conviction to it. “I’m really excited about this and I wanna make a good first impression so he can see I’m really serious becoming a Xiaolin Monk.”

“  _Yeah, but, like... why, though?_ ” With her own braid finished, Keiko folded her arms and frowned in confusion. “ _I still don’t get why you wanna give up being on top of the world to go live at a temple in Scenic Nowhere, Beijing for who knows how long._ ”

“Come on, doesn’t it sound exciting, though?” Kimiko finally smiled with anticipation again as she found a proper bun, pulling up the picture to get a better view of it. “Becoming a ‘Dragon Warrior’. Learning Martial Arts, doing for myself, out in nature away from the big cities...”

“ _But you_ ** _like_  ** _the big city._ ”

“I know, but like... It’s all I’ve  _ever_ seen, Keiko...” Kimiko murmured as she began to weave her hair around to properly tie it off in a bun.

It wasn’t an easy emotion for Kimiko to describe. It certainly wasn’t something that was easy for her to wrap her head around when her father had first approached her about the letter he had received from Master Fung about someone in his household potentially becoming a Xiaolin Dragon. And what it was that drew her to the idea wasn’t easy for her to truly articulate or explain either.

But from the moment her father had shown her that letter, something about what was written in the thoughtful calligraphy sparked her curiosity and interest. It made her remember there was a world beyond her little sphere inside the skyscraper penthouse of her dad’s company. A world which, in large part, she’d never seen or gotten to experience before. And since all of her schooling was already online anyway, and she was already always on the phone with her dad and friends more than being with them in person anyway, there was zero risk or loss involved. So what would be more exciting than heading off to experience something few others ever had the opportunity to, let alone something that was a far reach from anything she had ever experienced. Learning more refined Martial Arts, meeting new people, living a simpler life... Oh, sure, she would probably need to bring some stuff with her to make it comfortable for her, but just imagining what it was probably going to be like...

She couldn’t help but feel intrigued and excited at the same time!

“ _So, you’re bored and just need a change of scenery,_ ” was the conclusion that her best friend wryly came to with another perched eyebrow.

Kimiko huffed through her nose as she tied off the bun, picked up the laptop, slid off the bed to head to her vanity and look for the proper accessories, soon resting the laptop down onto it. Keiko was always just as blunt as Kimiko herself; probably what helped the two grow so close to begin with. It was no less annoying sometimes though.

“No, Keiko, that’s  _not_ it,” Kimiko insisted with a long roll of her eyes as she sat down in the small stool and pulled out a drawer to look through her many oriental hair accessories. “I’m lucky enough that Papa lets me go out to hang out with you and the girls on weekends. If I’m gonna see any part of the world that’s not just Tokyo before I’m 30, this is probably the best chance I’m gonna get.”

Okay, that wasn’t exactly a very well articulated or thought out explanation, but it was a start, anyway.

“ _Hey, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing if you need a change of scenery,_ ” Keiko argued in her own defense. “ _15 years of the same thing would probably wear on a girl after a while. Even if it’s, like... the greatest life ever._ ”

“Oh, yeah, no, I’m not exactly complaining about where I am now, I love it here. That’s not it.” Kimiko picked out the oriental orchid comb and slid it into her bun, quickly opening up her nearby make-up kit. “It’s just... If he comes and sees real potential in me, why not take that opportunity, you know?”

“ _I guess I can understand that much..._ ”

“Exactly. Now, with that all settled and out of the way, onto more important business...” After having pulled out her usual foundation, Kimiko smirked down to her best friend excitedly and held up a few bottles of lip gloss, all various shades of pink. “Coral, blush, or rose?

“ _Oh, girl, blush,_ ** _obviously,_** ” Keiko insisted as though this were indeed obvious.

* * *

It was no less than two hours later, long after she’d finished getting ready and finished her conversation with Keiko, when the intercom over Kimiko’s door finally sounded off, causing her to sit up in her bed in surprise and excitement.

“ _Kimiko, dearest!_ ” She heard her father’s jovial and cheerful voice call for her over the intercom system. “ _Our guest has finally arrived! Please, come downstairs to my office and say hello!_ ”

“ ** _YES!!_** ”

Slamming her laptop shut, she flew from her bed and raced to her bedroom door, which automatically slid open for her. The lights shutting off and the door closing itself behind her, she dashed to the elevator, pressed the down button, and raced inside. She pressed the button leading to the 120th floor and leaned against the reflective wall, reaching into her pocket to pull out and open her make-up compact mirror. Oof, her poor bangs were all frayed and messed up in her rush to get to the elevator quickly.

She did her best to fix them up with her hand, looked over her face to check on her make-up, and straightened the floral light red-and-pink tunic over her red-orange-and-yellow flamed skirt to make sure her appearance was in order. She’d picked the right white flats and red tights, right? She turned around to look over her appearance in the reflective mirror wall behind her and did a quick turn around just to make extra sure. She wanted to be absolutely positive she would come in making a good first impression.

Wait, actually, was this too nice? Should she have worn something more suited for a Xiaolin lifestyle? Oh, shoot, she’d overdressed again, hadn’t she...? Why did she only have to notice these things when it was too late?!

‘ _Okay, girl, just breath,_ ’ she reminded herself, taking a cleansing, calming breath to slow down her racing thoughts. ‘ _You’re just meeting him. You’re JUST saying hello, introducing yourself, and hearing what he has to say. There’s no dress-code for that. No stress, no pressure. You got this, you can do this, everything’ll be fine._ ’

The door opened onto the floor where she could see the door to her father’s office, and all the blood rushed to her feet. Why was she so nervous again? Was it just anticipation? Fear of the unknown?

She took another deep breath and forced herself out of the elevator, hurrying down to the office door, where she punched in the keycode she’d memorized into the keypad beside the door. Once she hit enter, the door opened, and somehow... she felt way smaller than she already was, and she was already a pretty short girl.

Inside, Tohomiko Toshiro stood in front of his desk, conversing with their new guest. He was a very short man, barely making it above Kimiko’s head, with short black hair that was finally beginning to show thick silver streaks, narrow brown eyes, the same ivory skin as her, and a jovial, cheerful smile.

Next to him was the man she could only assume was Master Fung, who turned to look to her. He was nearly double both of their height, only by virtue of both of them being so small. He made eye contact with Kimiko, and Kimiko could see a flash of curiosity and warm welcome in those eyes. Standing in front of him now, she felt humbled but... still invited to come join him.

She couldn’t help taking notice of the thin green creature wrapped over his shoulders, though, as Dojo twisted his body to look around Master Fung’s head to look to her too, a little unsure of what he was looking at. Kimiko already had even more questions.

Her father’s eyes lit up when he noticed she’d entered, and he opened his arms wide for her to come inside. She couldn’t help but light up a little herself before dashing over to him.

“Ah, Kimiko!  _Saiai no musume!_ ” Toshiro was always noticeably more physically affectionate than Japanese individuals or those of other various Asian cultures traditionally were, and he threw his arm around Kimiko’s shoulders once she was close enough. “I am so happy to see you!”

“It’s good to see you too, Papa!” Enamored to see him after such a long while had passed without being able to see him in person, Kimiko wrapped both arms around her father’s neck in a tight hug.

Once they both pulled away, Toshiro’s arm directed up to Master Fung and Dojo, bringing back Kimiko’s attention to him. Master Fung regarded the both of them with a polite look, while Dojo seemed to be analyzing Kimiko oddly. Kimiko wasn’t 100% sure how to interpret the look Dojo was giving her.

“I was just welcoming our guests to our company and our home,” Toshiro continued as he lowered his arm. “This is Master Fung from the Xiaolin Temple. Master Fung, this is my darling daughter, Kimiko.”

Heat rising through her chest, neck, and face at Toshiro’s very proud introduction, Kimiko did her best to give Master Fung a polite, halfways bow.

“I-It’s nice to meet you, Master Fung,” she stammered slightly, still a little flustered from such a formal introduction.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Kimiko.” Master Fung returned her bow with one of his own before the two straightened. “Your father has told me much about you.”

“And I’ve... heard... almost nothing about you,” Kimiko chuckled nervously, rushing up to play with the stray curls of her hair around her ear. “Uhm... Is that your pet... snake?”

‘Snake’ didn’t feel right, since the thing clearly had arms, but... she wasn’t sure what else to equate to the reptile wrapped around Master Fung’s shoulders. She wasn’t expecting him to lift his head and look to her with something akin to taking offense to her comment.

“ _Excuse me._ ” Dojo lifted his head up and gave Kimiko a sour look, causing her to flinch and grab her dad’s arm in alarm, not expecting him to start talking. “I’m  _hardly_ anyone’s  _pet_ , missy, and I’m  _leagues_ beyond those limbless excuses for reptiles.”

“S-Sorry?”

“Dojo.” Master Fung’s sharp look and his tone of warning was all it took for Dojo to withdraw around him, though his expression warmed down to Kimiko. “Forgive him, he is very particular about being compared to other reptiles. This is Dojo, the temple’s guardian dragon.”

A blast of air rushed through Kimiko’s chest in amazement, but at the same time, she couldn’t help giving the two of them a rather blank expression. She wasn’t sure how to process the information... That was a dragon? A real-life dragon right in front of her?

As amazed as she felt, she was almost a little underwhelmed. She had expected something a bit more... large and grand. She hadn’t expected to see a temple guardian dragon look so... small. He seemed to recognize that look and gave her a critical look.

“You were expecting something bigger and more mystical, weren’t ya?”

Kimiko twisted on her sleeve anxiously, chuckling awkwardly.

“Uh... Kinda? Not that being little’s a bad thing though!"

“Believe you me, sister, I’m plenty capable of being just as big as the rest of the big shots who flaunt their true size to show off to the conspiracy nuts. I’m only like this for convenience’s sake,” Dojo insisted with a proud lift of his head. “I’m travel sized.”

Well, that was one way of putting it. She nodded awkwardly in understanding and turned her attention back to Master Fung, coughing quietly.

“So, uhm, the Xiaolin Temple?”

“Ah, yes,” Master Fung agreed with a small nod. “We have much to discuss regarding your admission into the temple. Have you had any prior martial arts training before?”

“Kind of. I took some self-defense classes!” Kimiko tried to sound as proud as possible to try to sell it a bit better. “And I practice gymnastics all the time.”

“Gymnastics...” Master Fung seemed curious by this claim with a small hum in his voice before moving on. “So you have no formal martial arts training?”

“No, Master Fung, but that’s what I was hoping to learn by going to the temple, you know? That  _is_ what it’s for, right?”

“Of course. The temple trains young monks in the Xiaolin martial art for self-defense and to aid them in their duties as a Xiaolin monk.”

“Wild...”

“Why don’t we discuss the rest of this over an evening meal?” Toshiro suggested with a jovial, albeit somewhat uncomfortable smile. “I believe dinner should be ready just about now.”

“We would be delighted to join you both for dinner, thank you,” Master Fung chuckled warmly with a polite bow to the both of them.

“This isn’t a human-only thing, is it?” Dojo gave Toshiro the biggest puppy-dog eyes he could possibly muster up, earning a hearty chuckle from Toshiro.

“Of course you can join us as well, Dojo! We have plenty!”

* * *

For the first few minutes, dinner had been very quiet, save for the sounds of Dojo very loudly eating from his spot beside Master Fung. Master Fung opted not to bombard Kimiko or Toshiro with information straight away and instead gave them time to absorb what they’d already heard and learned before speaking.

Glancing to her father, Kimiko noticed that her father was strangely very quiet. He seemed like he was still processing this whole thing now that it was really happening. He didn’t seem like he was dissatisfied, but there was worry in his small, sad frown down to his food. As for Kimiko herself, well... She hardly knew what to think. She had been anticipating this for weeks, but now that it was all here in front of her, it felt like it was all happening so quickly.

“So, you mentioned duties and responsibilities...” Kimiko poked at her rice thoughtfully with her acrylic, floral chopsticks. “What kind of duties and responsibilities does a Xiaolin monk have?”

“That is what I wanted to speak to you and your father in person about,” Master Fung confessed as he wiped his mouth of soy sauce with his napkin. “The Xiaolin Temple is not only a place to learn our traditional martial art. It has stood within the mountains of Beijing in preparation to protect the world from great evil.”

Toshiro bristled at this but didn’t say anything. Kimiko, however, just leaned in closer with wide eyes filled with intrigue.

“Great evil...? What kind of great evil?”

“Heylin forces. A kind of evil that comes in innumerable, unpredictable forms, and an evil that has not been seen or heard from in over 1500 years,” Master Fung reiterated, and Toshiro seemed to relax a bit. “The likelihood of you having to deal with this great evil is admittedly very slim. Many generations have passed and none have needed to protect the world from Heylin forces, and you most likely will not need to either. However, you must understand that admission to the temple requires a willingness to face this great threat to the world in the event it ever does arise.”

A small pit formed in Kimiko’s stomach once she heard this. This was way more serious than she had anticipated. She expected this to be weightless and responsibility free, save maybe for doing some cleaning to pull her weight around the temple. Not signing up to be the first line of defense against evil forces she couldn’t even get any information on; she doubted she could google 'Heylin forces' beforehand. She glanced to her father for help, but Toshiro offered her nothing but a small worried look.

She hadn’t needed to in order to know how he felt about the situation though. Of course he didn’t want her to leave. Especially not if there was a chance of her getting hurt. He always just wanted to keep her where he could look after her and protect her for as long as he reasonably could. She let out a small nervous sigh and looked back to Master Fung.

“So, not likely, but going to the temple means I’m okay if it does happen?”

“Basically,” Dojo confirmed rather bluntly as he wiped his mouth with his own napkin. “But if you’re really a Xiaolin Dragon-pontentialee, you won’t have a ton to worry about.”

“And you’re really sure that I’m this... special and amazing Xiaolin Dragon Warrior?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart,” Dojo corrected with a shake of his head and a snarky smirk over to her. “No one just starts out a Xiaolin Dragon Warrior. But I don’t see anyone else here who could have the energy of a Dragon of Fire, so it must be you. Hey, everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right?”

Kimiko’s eyes wandered back to her food as she took another slow breath to maintain her composure. It was all so much to take in at once. She hadn‘t anticipated there to be so much weight to her decision to go through with this. But... Then again, he did say the chances of her actually having to deal with those things were relatively slim. If nothing had surfaced for 1500, what were the odds of it surfacing now, right?

Knock on wood, of course.

Master Fung seemed to notice that she was lost in thought, and he delicately put his chopsticks down on his napkin as he regarded her with a gentle look.

“I understand if this is a lot for you to take in. You don’t have to make a decision tonight, or right this instant.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, it’s just a lot to process, I guess,” Kimiko apologized with a sheepish grin and shrug. “Is there anything else I should know about before committing?”

“Yes. The lifestyle of a monk is rather... minimalistic. You will only be able to bring what you can fit into a 5x15 space. You would be sleeping on a traditional sleeping mat used by the monks, and whilst staying at the temple, you will share and rotate chores with your fellow Dragons in Training.

5x15? Oof... The chores, she could understand. The mat was a bit much but understandable for a traditional Chinese temple. But a room that small? That was barely bigger than a decent sized car... Master Fung’s look became more serious now and Kimiko slouched a bit; oh boy, it was about to get worse, wasn’t it?

“I will be your primary instructor and trainer at the temple, but you will also receive more specialized training from the other monks as well. The training will be taxing and draining at times, but we are fair instructors. There will be at least two separate training exercises for one hour each every day, followed by one hour of meditation for each session, at minimum. Separate combat practices are encouraged, but are at your discretion. You will be expected to keep your living quarters clean and organized at all times.”

The longer Master Fung spoke, the more Kimiko’s shoulders hiked up to her ears. What was this, boot camp? She expected tranquility and peace with occasional training, not being worked to death every day with so many expectations placed on her shoulders...

Just as Kimiko sucked in a sour gulp of air, Master Fung’s stance and expression relaxed, his hands folding over each other.

“However, beyond the mandatory training exercises, meditation, and chores, the day will be yours to spend as you see fit. The temple will be just as much your home as it will be your school.”

Kimiko heaved a small sigh of relief and leaned back slightly, smiling softly with equal assurance. That sounded a lot more like what she was expecting. Out of her peripheral, she noticed Toshiro setting down his chopsticks.

“Since you bring up schooling, much of her education is on the internet. Will she still have access to that?”

“We don’t presently have connections made to the world wide web, but she is more than welcome to bring any necessary equipment to establish one at the temple so that she may continue her education there,” Master Fung assured them with a polite smile and nod.

“Aw man, you mean I still have  _homework_ on top of all that?” Kimiko all but moaned as she leaned forward and poked at the cooked tuna atop her rice, her lips tightening into a small pout.

Not that she wasn't thankful to have internet up in the mountains, but even there she still wasn't going to be able to escape homework? What a bummer...

“Yeah, it’s almost like being a Xiaolin Monk is  _work_ or somethin’,” Dojo couldn’t help chuckling with a lighthearted smirk in her direction.

Kimiko couldn’t help bristling at that comment and squeezing at her chopsticks, an agitated heat rising to her cheeks. And just what was  _that_ comment supposed to mean? Sure, maybe she was a little disappointed that it wasn’t going to be as smooth and easy as she thought it would be, but was he insinuating she was hoping for a free ride? Or trying to be lazy? Or couldn’t pull her weight?!

Dojo seemed to pick up on this and whatever constituted for a brow rose at her.

“What?”

Kimiko just grumbled and huffed as she pulled more food into her mouth to take her rising irritation out on the food in her mouth. Master Fung gave off a small short laugh and reached over to give Dojo a small pat on the head to try to get him to quiet down, before looking back up to Kimiko patiently. Somehow, that patience he looked to her with helped to quell the fire that was slowly erupting inside of her stomach, and she straightened to give him her attention again.

“That is all of the vital information I have to share with you about the role of a Xiaolin Monk,” he concluded. “You don’t have to decide right now. If you need some time to think it over, then we can discuss this again in the morning, after you’ve had some time to consider.”

Kimiko’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. It closed again and she looked down to her food in thought for a minute or two. Even though she just heard that she didn’t need to decide now, somehow, she felt like she was already at the crossroads, having to make this life-altering decision. She looked between the three of them after a minute; Master Fung patiently waiting for her reply, Toshiro looking to her with sad concession, and Dojo... stuffing his face and only half paying attention to the conversation.

This was really happening.

“Papa?” She finally looked over to her father with thoughtful concern in her eyes. “Are you really okay with me doing this?”

“Kimiko, you are my only daughter,” Toshiro sighed softly, trying to give her his best, most reassuring smile he could muster. “Of all of my achievements and accomplishments, you are by far my greatest. Of all my wealth and possessions, you are my greatest treasure. I would never want any harm to come to you. But the worst thing I could do for you as a father would be to forbid you to pursue something that made you happy. Of course I am worried, but it is your decision to make. And whichever you make, I will support you completely.”

A hand found a way to Kimiko’s mouth, repressing the rush of emotion that flooded to her after hearing her father’s words. She wasn’t tearing up, but she felt close to. She had to have been the luckiest girl in the world to have such a supportive and caring dad as Toshiro.

“Papa...!” Kimiko flew up from her chair and raced around the table to throw her arms around Toshiro, receiving a firm, tight bear-hug in return. “Thank you, Papa, this means so much to me...”

“I know,  _takara_ ,” Toshiro laughed softly as he brought a hand up to stroke the underside of Kimiko’s hair, taking great care not to mess up her bun.

After a moment, Kimiko pulled away, resting her hand on her father’s shoulders and giving him a confident smile and nod. It was only once Toshiro gave her a small smile of confidence that Kimiko turned to Master Fung, her friend glowing with confidence and excitement, and nodded.

“I wanna do this,” Kimiko confessed with a tone of finality. “I was ready for this before and I’m ready now. If you’ll have me as a student there, I’ll do my best!”

It was in a subdued way, but Master Fung all but beamed at her response as Kimiko rounded the table again to sit back down at her spot with her meal. Dojo seemed to finally pause from his meal and looked at her with a bit of assurance himself now; he seemed pretty proud of how that had turned out.

“I am so pleased to hear you feel that way.”

“So, what do I do next? Do I have to go there myself, or are we leaving in the morning, or...?”

“You were but the first of five stops around the globe the two of us have to make,” Master Fung explained. “All of the Xiaolin Monks who accept the position will be convening in a small hotel in the town at the base of the mountain where the temple presides. We hope for all of the monks to arrive there by the end of summer at the latest.”

“So, three months from now?”

“Correct. That should give them time to retrieve a passport for international travel if they don’t already have one. Once all of the monks have convened in the same area, I will have returned to the temple. Once you and the others have all arrived, our temple caretaker will arrive to guide you all up to the temple. We can only provide rather modest accommodations until--”

“My honored guest,” Toshiro interrupted with an apologetic bow. “Forgive my interruption, but please, allow me to provide monetary support to allow for comfortable accommodations for my daughter and her fellow students until the time comes to go to the temple.”

“That is a very generous offer, Tohomiko-san, but we would hate to impose on you financially.”

“It is no imposition at all, my friend!” Toshiro insisted vigorously, returning to the more jovial and cheerful disposition he had before. “It is my gift to you all. We can also have someone wait at the airport to escort them to the hotel to avoid any confusion.”

Master Fung chuckled warmly and gave a small shake of his head.

“Ah... Very well, if you insist... We will provide the names of all potential new students for convenience’s sake...”

The rest of the conversation ironing out the details of how this was all going to go all but faded into background noise as Kimiko leaned on her elbow, nibbling on her fish and rice, her mind beginning to wander. A new fire lit up inside her chest, this time a warmth of excitement and adventure. Even if there was no great evil she was ever going to have to face, this was going to be bigger than anything she could have imagined it would be like. How could she not be excited to go? A million questions buzzed through her head at a mile a minute.

What was the temple going to be like?

What about the monks? Or the other students?

Were there going to be any other girls there? Any cute boys?

What was she going to be learning exactly?

What was a Xiaolin Dragon of Fire? Did she have what it took to really become something deserving of that kind of title?

...What in the world was she going to  _wear?_


	3. Lightning

_Lightning is precise, swift, deadly and beautiful._

_It is rarely seen in person, holds no allies, and never strikes in the same place twice._

_It is a splendor to witness from a distance, but wild, impossible to predict, and can light up a stormy sky or destroy all it touches in a single moment._

_The Dragon of Lightning must take great care to exercise caution and patience to calculate their every action, but act with the utmost conviction when the time is right._

_Lest they miss their mark or strike for evil where they could strike for good._

* * *

“Have a good rest of your day, ma’am!”

“Thanks, you too.”

Exiting the passport office as quickly as she could, nineteen-year-old Grace Robinson absentmindedly flipped through her brand new passport to look over it for a third time. She’d already made sure everything was in order before bidding the receptionist at the front desk farewell, but she liked to be extra sure of these things.

Grace was a beautiful, lean and slender teen with dark tanned skin, dark, straight red hair cut pixie short, bangs pulled behind her ears in a long fringe, and light violet eyes. She dressed very minimalistically, in just a short-sleeve crop-top, jean capris, tennis shoes and a dark colored hoodie wrapped around her waist, her bare skin undeterred by the slight chill in Quebec City’s summer weather even in the early morning. The only accessory to her name was a dark brown, velvet choker with a lightning bolt charm hanging off the center of it.

After closing her passport, she slid it into the small purse wrapped around her waist by the straps and adjusted the bright yellow backpack on her back. She moved for the small post beside the office where she tied a thin leash attached to the collar of the tiny, sandy colored Abyssinian kitten waiting patiently for her outside.

“Hey, Luna, you doing okay?” Grace greeted with a small smile, bringing the tiny mewling and squirming thing up to her face to look her over. Luna’s tail wiggling behind her, she reached forward to try to swat at Grace’s nose. “Good. Alright, in you go now. We have places to be.”

Taking the leash off the collar, she brought Luna up to her shirt and slid her down, where she plopped head-first into Grace’s bra underneath. She twisted and squirmed around until her head poked out over the fabric of the shirt. Once Grace was sure she was comfortable, she started down the sidewalk again, reaching into her pocket to trade the leash for a pen and the handwritten checklist she’d made for herself.

“Okay, let’s see...”

‘ **Meet at Cafe Le Maison, June 30th** ’ was underlined and circled at the very top, and a list of supplies followed underneath it. Food, water, blanket, pillow, first aid/medicine, emergency clothes, hygiene products, toiletries, converted Canadian Dollars to Chinese Yuan, cat food and litter were all checked off. The only things left unchecked were ‘passport’, ‘plane tickets’, and ‘ammo’. She checked off passport and slid the pen and list back into her pocket, wrapping her hands around the straps of her backpack as she started for the ammunition shop down the street.

It was still a bit of a surreal situation, meeting with some random stranger from China who claimed she was something ‘special’, but at this point, she hardly cared enough to listen to her usual ‘stranger danger’ instincts.

The letter from the Xiaolin Temple mysteriously showing up in her P.O Box a few months back had come as a shock and surprise to her. Really, she only had that P.O Box for the sake of being able to put down a mailing address on employment forms or federal documents. She never expected to actually end up making use of it; she never had anyone who sent her anything or tried to write to her. A part of her was still having trouble wrapping her head around being corresponded to from a stranger she’d never met on the complete opposite of the world telling her she had the potential to become some special “Xiaolin Dragon”.

But she had to count her blessings. If anything, she was ready to go even if she ended up not liking what she heard. If it got her a chance to get out of this damn place and under an actual roof, she was fully prepared to hear this guy out.

Turning the corner onto another street, she caught sight of the familiar hunting and sporting goods store on the other side of the street. As she crossed the street to the opposite sidewalk and started for the store, she reached into her other pocket to grab her grossly outdated flip-phone.  **10:15 AM**  blinked from the outside clock, and she sighed in relief before sliding it back in. Good, the store will have been open for a few minutes now.

Once she finally made it to the door, she shoved it open with her shoulder, ignoring the obnoxious ringing of the storefront bell as she entered. The store was a decent size, filled with plenty of camping, hunting, fishing, and sports equipment in different sections of the store. At the clear, bullet-proof cabinet holding a wide array of guns and ammunition on the side of the store, right beside the door, a short portly man sat behind the register, looking up from his magazine and laughing the moment he caught sight of her.

“Hehe! Well hey, there! If it isn’t my favorite bum!” He laughed in good-natured teasing, folding his magazine over and putting it down as he scooted closer to the register with his chair.

“Hey, Iggy,” Grace called to him with a blunt tone and expression, looking down to the contents of the cabinet sooner than looking at her. “I need ammo.”

“Of course, what else do you ever come in here for?” Iggy rolled his eyes and looked down to the casings inside the cabinet. “Like you can’t ever come in just to say hi or something.”

“I don’t need the sarcasm, I just need ammo.” Grace’s brow pinched in slight irritation as she reached into her purse to grab a handful of bills. “Same kind as always.”

“Alright, alright...” Grabbing a key from his coat pocket, he leaned slightly to unlock the cabinet, reaching inside for one of the boxes of ammunition. “How much?”

“Whatever I can get for a hundred,” Grace insisted, shoving at least a hundred Canadian dollars across the table towards him.

“A hundred?” His eyes bouncing up in surprise, Iggy sat up and grabbed the folded up bills, flipping through the different colored bills to make sure Grace wasn’t playing around. “Where in the world did you get this kind of money from? I thought you quit working.”

"Last week. I saved up before then,” Grace insisted with a small, blunt shrug; it was only half a lie. “Now how much can I get for it?”

Iggy hummed under his breath and leaned again to look under the cabinet. Grace watched him grab two boxes of 500 rounds. Grace frowned slightly, folding her arms across her stomach as folding them across her chest would have smothered Luna a bit.

“1000 rounds? You can’t be serious.”

“What, you were expecting 2000?”

“No, I just meant that has to add up to at least $250. I don’t have that kind of money, Igg--”

“Grace, darling,” Iggy insisted with a small shake of his head as he pulled a brown paper bag out of the drawer behind him and slid the two boxes into it. “You said you’re going away, right?”

“God willing.”

“Well...” He twisted the top of the paper bag around and moved to the cash register to start ringing up the purchase. His expression was a little warmer and more appreciative now. “You’ve been one of my best customers the last couple years and you’ve gotten me some pretty good business. Consider it a going away gift to see you off to... where was it, again?”

“China.”

“China, right. Anything else?”

“Nah, I just need the ammo.”

In truth, she wasn’t even 100% sure that the Xiaolin Temple would allow her to bring her  _cat_ onto their grounds, let alone a firearm. She would probably be expected to use martial arts for self-defense before conventional weapons. But she hardly doubted there were going to be actual  _children_ at the temple who would run the risk of going through her stuff. And besides, a part of her liked to hope that Master Fung would be lenient if it made her more comfortable moving abroad.

Once she heard the ring of the cash register, she grabbed a hold of the bag and reached behind her to unzip her backpack, slide the bag in, and zip it back up again. Her long slim limbs and flexible upper body made it easier for her than it would have been for most.

“Thanks, Iggy.”

“No problem, darling. If this is the last time I see you...” Iggy sighed somewhat fondly and smiled up to her. “Well, I’m gonna miss you.”

Grace tried to give him as authentic a smile as she could manage. Admittedly, she was happy to be leaving, and there weren’t really a whole lot of people she was going to miss. She was the kind of person who could live with or without people in her life, so she couldn’t exactly share the same sentiment as him. But she appreciated it nonetheless.

“Thanks, Iggy. I appreciate that, that’s nice to hear.” She adjusted her backpack and made for the door. “I’ll see you around. I’ll try to write or call if I get the chance.”

“Good luck, Gracey!”

* * *

The staff at her usual cafe was so heartwarmingly accommodating. She had been sitting in her usual booth in the corner, sipping on hot chocolate and nibbling on muffins, for the last five hours and she hadn’t been asked to leave yet. But dammit if the wait wasn’t starting to kill her. She had put down the right address in her return letter, right? She’d put down the right date to meet up, right? Master Fung hadn’t gotten lost or gotten the wrong date, had he?

She took a long aggressive sip of her hot chocolate with one hand and reached down to stroke Luna quietly resting beside her, hidden from view of the other patrons by her body and the table.  This was starting to get ridiculous. She’d been duped, hadn’t she? This was all just some prank, wasn’t it? Nobody was even coming, it was all just a--

Hearing the bell to the coffee shop, Grace finally looked up and found that the person who had entered clearly didn’t belong. She slowly put her mug down, watching the older man scan the coffee shop until the two of them had made eye-contact. With a small look of recognition and a relieved smile, Master Fung made his way across the coffee shop dining area over to her booth. As he made his way closer to her, she could spot a small reptilian creature poking out from his long tunic sleeve and looking around for something until its eyes locked onto her.

“Oh, yeah, no doubt about it,” she heard Dojo announce up to Master Fung as they approached her. “That’s lightning energy if I ever felt it.”

Grace glanced down to the small talking dragon as Master Fung finally came to stand beside her table, looking down to her quizzically. She could only imagine that her look was just as unsure as his was.

“Are you Master Fung?” She had asked before he even got a chance to introduce himself or ask for her name, although she only noticed that he’d opened his mouth to speak once she had.

“Yes, I am,” he confirmed with a soft, thoughtful nod, opting to sit down in the booth across from her. “Judging from the address on your letter, you must be Grace Robinson, correct?”

“Yessir,” Grace confirmed in return, nodding in a similar fashion before bringing her mug back up to her lips again. “Your return letter said you wanted to talk to me about some important details about becoming a Xiaolin Monk before getting my final answer?”

“Yes, I--”

“I’m gonna politely stop you right there and just let you know in advance that my answer is already yes,” Grace interrupted with a small raise of her hand. “And there’s not a lot you could tell me that would make me change my answer. Anything you tell me is informative at best.”

Master Fung blinked slightly in a mixture of surprise and shock at Grace’s immediate and absolute willingness to relocate across the world without knowing all the facts. He couldn’t tell if she was overzealous, irresponsible, or incredibly trusting. Though... a part of him had a feeling none of those quite hit the mark of what the true issue was.

Dojo simply slithered up onto Master Fung’s lap, lifting himself and his arms above the table to give her a raised eyebrow and a suspicious look.

“ _Well_ , Ms. Gung-Ho,” he shot up at her with that ‘got-ya’ kind of tone. “What if you were told you’d have to be willing to protect the world from great evil and hunt down magical objects of unlimited power if you signed on?”

“Color me intrigued and curious,” was all Grace had as a response, taking another sip of her drink with a nonchalant shrug. “I also notice that what context has lead me to believe is either a dragon or a mystical serpent is talking, and I’m both surprised and fascinated at the same time.”

Dojo opened his mouth to say something in return, likely something critical, but he seemed to deflate at her comments about him. He withdrew slightly against Master Fung’s tunic with a bashful dip to his head.

“You find me fascinating?” He chuckled in a subdued but still relatively giddy sort of way.

“You don’t seem as shocked or surprised as I had anticipated,” Master Fung noted with a curious pinch in his brow.

“With all due respect, sir, I was shocked enough to get a letter from a random stranger on the other side of the world I had never met before who somehow learned my name and P.O box address,” Grace pointed out, her own eyebrows raising. “The shock wore off after a while. At this point, nothing can surprise me. Besides, I’ve seen enough to become desensitized to weird shi--”

She coughed to force herself not to swear in front of him, if only out of respect, her face flushing red for a moment.

“Sorry, weird  _stuff_ in general.” She put down her empty mug after one last long sip, looking down into it for a moment. “How...  _did_ you learn about me, anyway? I’m not exactly... well known.”

“Dojo is of a breed of dragon which can sense the energy of an awakening Xiaolin Dragon,” Master Fung explained very calmly. “We did not know your name until you responded to our letter, but he had enough of a general location to know where to send a letter.”

“I guess I’ll take your word for that...” Grace’s eyes trailed to the side in thought for a moment, her leg twitching almost a little impatiently as she rested her cheek in her hand. “So... What I’ve got so far is that the Xiaolin Temple is a place to learn the Xiaolin martial art, is pretty isolated, and apparently has lineage linked to protecting the world from ‘great evil’. Anything else I should know about before signing on?”

“Ah, yes, of course. You should be aware that the lifestyle of a monk is a minimalistic one. You will only be able to bring what you can fit into a 5x15 space. You would be sleeping on a traditional sleeping mat used by the monks, and whilst staying at the temple, you will share and rotate chores with your fellow Dragons in Training.”

“Oh, okay, cool.” Grace shrugged. “I’m already used to that.”

“You are?” Dojo rose a brow at her in a lack of belief.

“Yeah, man. I’m used to sleeping on the floor with no room to house any of my stuff.” When she said it out loud... it sounded a lot sadder than she meant for it to. “I’m used to doing everything for myself, too, so rotating chores would actually make things kind of easier on me.”

Master Fung paused for a moment, a hand rising to his beard in a soft, thoughtful stroke. His eyes analyzed her and softened somewhat.

“Ah... Yes. You had informed me of this in your letter,” he sighed in a small mumble. “You are currently living on your own.”

“Yeah. I’m homeless.” Grace leaned to pat the backpack sitting next to her by the booth; her tone didn’t carry one of sadness or frustration, it was blunt and matter-of-factly. She didn’t disdain the lifestyle, it was... just the way it was for her. “This is home for me.”

“You are no longer in the care of your parents, then?”

“Nope.” Grace... didn’t care to go into any further detail than that, and she made it obvious by folding her arms across the table and forcing a glare down to it. She wasn’t as angry or beat up about it as she made herself appear, she just wanted to tip off to Master Fung that she wanted a change in topic. She wasn’t up for dumping her backstory onto him today. “Anything else?”

Master Fung paused and eyed her body language before nodding and continuing, picking up on her wishes to just move on and keep the conversation strictly down to business.

“I will be your primary instructor and trainer during your training at the temple, but you will also receive more specialized training from the other monks as well. The training will be taxing and draining at times, but we are fair instructors. There will be at least two separate training exercises for one hour each every day, followed by one hour of meditation for each session, at minimum. You will be expected to keep your living quarters clean and organized at all times.”

“Sounds fair. I was raised on getting up early and training every day,” Grace explained with a cooperative nod, earning another pleasantly surprised look from Master Fung and Dojo; she could tell that she was taking this a lot easier than either of them really expected her to. “You two seem shocked.”

“Well, you know, we’ve gone through a LOT of Xiaolin Dragons,” Dojo explained with a bit of a bewildered look. “It’s usually full of ‘woah’, ‘no way’, ‘i can’t believe’s and such.”

“You underestimate my disdain for this city and my willingness to leave it. You could end up kidnapping me and selling me onto the black market halfway there, and I would probably still thank you for it. Anything would be an upgrade at this point.”

Did she  _hate_ being homeless?

Well, she couldn’t go that far. It was simple being homeless. Just focus on surviving and getting through the day. She didn’t mind a simple life either; the only things that made life difficult were the gangs, the other bums she fought for territory and food, and the unforgiving Quebec weather. Other than that, she was astonishingly content with it.

That aside, it wasn’t exactly a life of infinite freedoms where no one told her what to do and she could do whatever she wanted. She still had basic needs. She had to eat, she had to work to pay for food, clothes and medicine, she needed water, she still needed to be able to bathe and wash her clothes, she needed her gun to protect herself, now she needed food and litter for her new kitten... She didn’t hate it, but the simple fact of the matter was that this wasn’t going to work out for her in the long run and no one in this town was willing to help her get out of it. No job would be able to support her living in even a studio apartment on just minimum wage; not for long, anyway.

Plus... she had way too much baggage here. She  _needed_ a fresh start somewhere else, away from all this garbage.

Master Fung didn’t seem to need to ask. He simply nodded in understanding and folded his hands across the table.

“I understand. Did you have any questions of your own?”

“Just a few.” Grace reached down beside her and picked up little Luna, still fast asleep beside her. “Do you allow pets?”

Master Fung hummed softly in thought, looking across the table at the small creature snoozing in Grace’s hands. This was always a very risky gamble whenever potential monks asked that of him; wanting to take their beloved pets to the temple with them, only for the pets to make an absolute mess of things. Years of handling this had naturally made him and Dojo very wary of allowing such a thing.

“She’s super well-behaved, I promise,” Grace assured them with a new sense of urgency, slowly putting her back down in her original spot. “She can stay put if I tell her too, she won’t make a mess of the temple, I promise. Just... she helps me sleep at night. It’d just be helpful if I could bring her along, if... that’s okay.”

“Hmmm... You understand she would still be your responsibility?”

“Absolutely, Master Fung.”

“Then I suppose I see little harm in bringing her along,” he sighed in partial defeat with a defeated but kind smile.

A small, elated smile finally appeared on Grace’s face; the first genuine one she’d felt on her face all day. She sighed to let out a held in breath and her tight stance was able to relaxed.

“Ooh, good... Thanks. So, uhm... what’s the firearm policy?”

This was the point where Master Fung bristled, quite visibly, and Grace almost withdrew a little against her seat at the sight of his very tense expression. Dojo could sense his agitation and anxiety and looked up to him with a surprised look for a moment.

“You must understand,” Master Fung started as he slowly inhaled to try to steady himself and his composure. “Our temple is a peaceful place. We discourage the reliance on conventional weapons on temple grounds. Are you wanting to bring a firearm onto temple grounds with you?”

“Y-Yes?” Grace’s voice came out tight and uncertain now, glancing down to the backpack where she knew she normally kept her handgun. “I’m... just used to using it as my primary line of defense... Don’t get me wrong, my dad practically raised me on military combat techniques, but those don’t work nearly as effectively against someone drawing a knife on you than pointing a gun at them does.”

She could tell that she wasn’t quite making a dent in Master Fung’s rejection of her bringing a gun into his temple, judging by his lack of response and stern look to her. Was it just tradition’s sake? Or were there actual children that could get into her stuff and mess around with it? She wanted to respect that, but somehow, being without her gun at least nearby just made her extremely uneasy.

“I-I can keep it out of sight and unloaded,” Grace tried again, a little more anxious this time. “I won’t have it with me when we train, I’ll just keep it in my room for emergencies.”

“Just as a kind of tidbit of knowledge to throw out there,” Dojo interjected, earning both humans’ attention. “Omi-ball’s gonna need to learn about modern weapons and technology eventually. Even if he never ends up having to use one, he’s gotta at least learn what they look like and how they work and... how not to look down into it.”

‘Omi’? Who was he talking--

...

Oh.

Oh, shit, they  _did_ have a very impressionable kid there. One who was apparently young enough to not know what guns were or how they worked.  _That_ was why Master Fung was so uncomfortable with bringing a gun to the temple.

Well... she couldn’t exactly argue that or fault him for that at all. She could practically see this small little boy getting into her stuff when she wasn’t looking and having an accident coming a mile away. She wasn’t about to be responsible for the death of a child just for the sake of her own comfort. If she was gonna do this, she was going to  _have_ to step outside of her comfort zone a bit. That was the sacrifice she was going to have to make to get out of this dumb city...

Well... at least she had Luna.

Understanding this, her body deflated a little. She hated to have to give up her gun and ammunition after she just spent $100 on new ammunition, but... Oh, well. That was just the way it went sometimes. She was just gonna have to deal.

“If... I-If it's really not okay, then I guess it'd be fine," Grace sighed in defeat, shaking her head solemnly. “I can always return the ammunition and sell the gun. I don’t wanna be responsible for anyone getting hurt.”

Master Fung’s body relaxed and his brow rose at her, clearly surprised by her easy willingness to see to reason. He could obviously tell that being without the gun made her very uncomfortable, but the second Omi was brought up, she immediately conceded defeat. His eyes examined her for a moment, his hand stroking his beard for a moment, before a small flash of pride sprung to his face for just a moment. He smiled warmly in that 'willing to push aside discomfort' sort of way.

“Your understanding and respect for our ways is most appreciated, Grace,” he murmured to her in appreciation, pausing for a moment longer to glance back down to Dojo in thought, taking his words into consideration. "It has never been done before... however, Dojo holds an excellent point. Omi will have to face the world and all of its dangers one day... and it would be best for him to learn about the responsibility and dangers of a conventional weapon."

Grace's brow rose in surprise at Master Fung's sudden shift in judgement, but shrunk back when Master Fung's look grew grave and serious again.

"I must strong urge you to never have your weapon loaded without my express permission," he insisted with a low tone of voice. "You must inform myself and the other monks of your plans to bring it out of your room and use it. It is  _ **only**_  to ever be used in the event of a dire emergency as an absolute last resort. Do you understand?"

“I..." It took Grace a second to shake off the shock and surprise of Master Fung's sudden new approval of her firearm, but once she had, she chuckled softly, slumped against the back of her seat, and nodded in appreciation. "I understand, Master Fung. Thanks for understanding... I guess all that's left now is for me to figure out a way to drum up some plane tickets to Beijing.”

“Oh, that will not be necessary,” Master Fung explained with a small smile, reaching into the pocket of his tunic. “A new friend has offered to aid us financially and will be fully funding your trip to Beijing. There, you will be staying in a hotel with the other monks until you all have been gathered there and our caretaker comes to collect you.”

Out of everything Grace had heard that afternoon,  _that_ was what made her eyes grow wide and her jaw to almost drop. She watched him pull out a small stack of Canadian Dollars and Chinese Yuan from his tunic and slide it across the table. She immediately snatched up the stack of Canadian Dollars and counted them off... There was...

Once she was done counting, a bolt of adrenaline shot through her from top to bottom, as though she’d been struck by lightning.

There was over $10k here! She’d never even seen this much money in one place, let alone get the chance to hold it! Who the hell did he know to magically conjure up $10k for her to fly all the way to Beijing?!

“I-I-I don’t--what--I’m--”

“I think we broke her,” Dojo muttered up to Master Fung with a small amused tone, bringing another soft laugh from Master Fung.

“He was quite insistent on providing our monks with first class trips to Beijing, as his daughter will be one of your fellow students and he wished to aid us in any way he could,” he explained as Grace still struggled to process what she was looking at. “You may use the money however you like, and when you arrive in Beijing, you may convert it to Chinese Yuan and spend as you see fit. The Yuan you have there will be for your stay at the hotel.”

“I... I-I think I need a drink,” Grace gasped slightly as she shoved herself up from the table, looking down to the massive stack in her now shaking hands, her mouth suddenly extremely dry. “U-Uhm, can I get you two a drink or lunch or something?”

“That would be more generous, thank you.”

Grace nodded at the calm, appreciative smile Master Fung gave her, her body still shivering and dying down from the shock of what just happened to her. She flipped through the bills to fish a $20 out of the stack, put the rest down, and, still trembling, rushed over to the counter to order something. She had no idea what she was even going to order, though; her brain was shot.

It all happened way too quickly.

She couldn’t think.

She could hardly speak.

...What just  _happened ?_


	4. Earth

_Earth is a very patient, calm, and unassuming element._

_It moves very slowly and calmly, and does not appear to possess the same kind of power and grandeur as many other elements do. Upon first glance, it can appear as though it only exists to support the life that walks across it._

_However, when it is pushed, it holds the power of the entire planet, rising, falling, splitting and crashing against itself to eradicate everything in its path. And once the dust settles and all becomes still, where the life it took once stood, new life emerges._

_The Dragon of Earth must maintain a calm and steady disposition, but not be unafraid to take the initiative to use its power to protect and not to passively allow themselves to be walked on._

_Lest the danger passes them by entirely and those who relied on their haste be doomed to fall with nothing to catch them._

* * *

Deep in the heartland of Texas, nestled in a small grassy valley, there lay one of the most successful family-run ranches in the state. Hidden away from the rest of the world by miles upon miles of grassland, flat plains and fruit trees that separated it from at least a dozen different small towns, Bailey Family Ranch was just beginning to settle into the night as the sun had just begun to sink beyond the horizon. 

A massive farmhouse stood in the center of the ranch as the Bailey family’s home, with several barns, stables, and pens off to the side, accompanied by a handful of windmills and one massive silo for grain harvest. A couple miles behind the family’s farmhouse was a massive lake connected to long, wide rivers that stretched just as far as the flatlands did, where wild bass and catfish fed and splashed about without a care in the world.

Most of the for-hire workers had gone back to town for the day, the last few customers coming to buy produce had left, and even most of the Bailey family had retreated inside for some rest and supper.

All except for one.

‘ _Well I’ve heard those city singers, singin’ ‘bout how they can love_ ’, a single smooth, warm Southern voice echoed across the otherwise empty ranch.

‘ _Deeper than the oceans, higher than the stars above_ ’

‘ _Well I come from the country, and I know I ain’t seen it all_ ’

‘ _But I heard that ocean’s salty and stars, they sometimes fall_ ’

Anyone else would have thought it was silly, laying back along the bare back of a grazing mare, surrounded by the biggest herd of bulls and dairy cattle you’d ever seen, guitar in hand and strumming off a smooth rhythmed country love song. But for eighteen year old Clay Bailey, this was the usual routine, and made perfect sense.

The tall, broad chested and broad shouldered boy could always tell when the herd was starting to get stressed, and had lived with them long enough to know how much they loved listening to someone strumming along the old-fashioned guitar at night. It was always the best way to soothe them and help them wind down before drifting off to sleep in the field. His Daddy always urged him to bring them back into their corral, but he knew that unless it was raining, the cows definitely preferred settling down in the soft, warm sun-kissed grass of the pasture. His mare Molly didn’t seem to mind either, just contently grazing and waiting for him to put her saddle back on. 

He briefly paused from strumming to pull up the thin brimmed farming hat, which had slid down over soft baby blue eyes and the overgrown tassels of bright blonde hair that all but shielded them, before returning to his introduction verse with a warm content smile. 

Clay knew that his Daddy and sister at home would roll their eyes or get onto him if they could see or hear him just appeasing to the senses of the barnyard animals, but he knew better; his Mama had taught him better. The emotional and mental health of the animals was just as important to ensure the best quality produce as their physical health was. Otherwise, you get sour milk and beef with too many stress-induced hormones. 

Didn’t taste good, wasn’t good for you, and of course, stressed animals never sat well with Clay. So he was more than content to strum them a few chords before herding them back inside the corral for the day.

‘ _And that would not do justice to the way I feel for you,_ ’ he continued without reservation. ‘ _So I have to sing this song ab--_ ’

“Claaaay!!”

Yelping loud in alarm as his verse was suddenly cut off, he sat up fast, his movement and the sudden noise startling Molly into jerking up. Clay didn’t have time to twist around and sit back down before he was thrown off onto the grass by Molly’s surprised buck, and with a loud yell and flat, stomach-first thud, he crashed down onto the ground along with his guitar sliding across the grass. 

He could feel Molly scrapping her hooves against the ground as she tried to settle down, and he rolled over onto his back as he sucked in some air to replenish the oxygen that had been robbed from him. He was gonna feel that later... Once his head settled and his senses returned to him, he could hear the approaching trot of another horse and he slowly pushed himself up again, turning around to notice the smaller stallion of his baby sister, fifteen-year-old Jessie Bailey, riding over to him. 

Were it not for the age and height difference, they could have been twins, with her sharing his lightly tanned and freckled complexion, stocky, somewhat muscular frame, bright blonde hair thrown up into pigtails, and pale blue eyes.

Thankfully, the cows didn’t seem that startled; used to Jessie’s presence, they just slowly moved aside for her to come through. Even without standing up and looking right at her, Clay could feel her look down onto him was one mixed with irritation for having to ride out to get him, and satisfaction.

Yep. He was busted.

“Aw, come on, Jessie,” Clay moaned as he rubbed the sore spot on his stomach, pushing himself back up to standing. “Did you have to yell like that? Ya nearly spooked the cattle and ya went and made Molly buck me.”

“Nah, I didn’t,” Jessie admitted with a smug shrug and smirk down in his direction, chuckling a little. “But it was funny. You should’a seen yer face.”

Clay huffed through his nose, but didn’t have much he could say to his sister without being impolite. He just grabbed Molly’s reins with one hand and brought a hand up to stroke her mane, trying to help her calm down a bit.

“Daddy send ya?”

“Yeah.” Her smile falling, Jessie crossed her arms across her chest. “He said to stop foolin’ ‘round with the livestock and get ‘em back into the corral. And to get yer sorry hide home for dinner before it gets cold.”

“I wasn’t foolin’ around, Jessie,” Clay muttered defiantly as he knelt down to grab the now calm mare’s saddle, bringing it back up to reposition it back onto her back. “They lost two of their bulls today, and that hit ‘em pretty hard. I had to cheer them up.”

“Clay. They’re cows,” Jessie reminded him bluntly with a roll of her eyes. “They’re born to make milk, make babies, and die for beef. They’ll get over it.”

Clay openly bristled at Jessie’s rather uncaring way of putting it, but again, he bit his tongue as he picked up the fallen guitar, strapped it across his back by the leather strap, and pulled himself up onto Molly’s back. He disagreed with his sister’s line of thinking, but Jessie was just as stubborn and hardheaded as their father was. Talking to them and changing their mind was borderline impossible.

...Not that he could say he wasn’t going to miss her when she left. He most certainly would.

“Alright, alright... I’ll get ‘em back into the corral,” Clay sighed in defeat and frustration. “Let Mama and Daddy know I’m comin’ in.”

Jessie nodded and took ahold of her stallion’s reins, twisting them around to make him turn and snapping them to urge him to gallop off back to the farmhouse. Reaching around to grab Molly’s reins, he gave her side a firm but gentle nudge with the side of his feet to let her know to start moving.

“Alright, now, let’s get ya’ll back to the corral before Daddy throws another hissy fit,” Clay called somewhat glumly to the herd as he and Molly circled around to head to the back of the herd and start properly corralling them all together.

Thankfully, the corral that the herds normally slept in wasn’t very far away. It didn’t take him much time to get the herd moving as a single unit for the decently sized corral just half a mile from the farmhouse. There was a small open stable-like structure opposite of the gate to let some of the dairy cows and their calves shield themselves from the cold at night, with troughs of hay and water for them to eat and drink as needed, but during the heat of summer, most prefered to stay out in open grass.

Within half an hour, Clay had managed to guide the entire herd into the corral, or so he’d assumed. He thought he’d seen every single one get in, but just as he reached down to start closing the gate, one small, tiny noise interrupted him. Sitting up and turning around, he noticed a straggler; one of the recent new calves lagging behind the rest of the herd. The completely black calf - save for a white mask over his eyes - was stumbling in the grass and rocks a bit and struggling to catch up with the rest of the herd. 

Clay’s eyes softened and he pulled on Molly’s reins to guide her over in a slow trot beside the calf. His mother was one of the older cows on the farm and couldn’t always keep track of her new calves when they lagged behind, so this wasn’t new for Clay.

“Aw, Billy, you still haven’t gotten into your walkin’ legs, have you?” He chuckled affectionately, reaching down for the loop of rope latched onto Molly’s saddle, uncurling it and freeing the tied-off lasso. “C’mon, let’s get you back to Ol’ Bessie, now.”

With expert precision, he looped the rope around the calf’s neck and lightly tugged, just enough to secure it safely around the calf’s neck without risking strangulation if he tripped and fell. With the lasso as a point of security, his other hand on the reins, he was able to slowly but surely guide Billy through the gate into the corral. With a flick of his wrist, the loop came undone and yanked up from around Billy’s neck to return to his hand. He couldn’t help smiling as little Billy stumbled back to his mother.

He kicked the gate closed and slid the lock into place, testing the gate with his hand to be sure it was securely locked up tight. Looking out over the herd of cows now settling down for their night’s rest, he twisted Molly around and snapped her reins, urging her to break for the stables so he could put her up.

And finally face the music.

* * *

“Mama, Daddy, Jessie,” Clay called into the house as he shut the door behind him, reaching up to wipe the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and kicking his boots off at the door. “I’m back!”

“We’re in here, baby-doll!” He could heard his mother calling to him from the dining room area of their farmhouse home.

He slowly slid his hat off and hung it on the hat rack by the door, and that was when the smell of freshly made steaks had wafted into the foyer and within range of his senses. He took in a slow, strong whiff of the scent of fresh herbs and well seasoned meat before racing over to the dining room, where his family was waiting.

Jonathan Bailey was the middle-aged man of the house, very tall and broad shouldered with very thick, dark brown facial hair to match the short, well kept hair normally hidden under his farmer’s hat. He towered over the rest of his family and could easy hide Clay in his shadow if Clay stood right behind him. Dark blue eyes slowly looked up to Clay when he’d entered; the look on his face was hardly that of a scowl, but it was definitely something close to impatience or criticism.

Which suited Jessie, who sat on the left of the table across from Clay’s spot, just fine, as she gave him a smug little side-smirk.

“What were you doin’ out there, boy?” Jonathan asked him with a lowered brow and a very blunt tone.

“Just lookin’ after the herd before corralin’ them up, Daddy,” Clay explained with a cleansing breath inward to stray his patience as he grabbed the back of his seat to pull it out and sit down.

“The cattle were supposed to be back in their corral before sundown,” Jon reminded him with another critical look. “You weren’t out there singing to them again, were you?”

“I-I...” Clay ducked his head down to his empty eating space for a moment.

“Jonathan, leave the boy alone,” Teresa Bailey chastised with a soft glare over to her husband as she came back from the stove and slid a plate of herbed mashed potatoes, peas and carrots, and a big, well-seasoned teriyaki steak in front of Clay. “He’s got more sense about those animals in his head than either of ya’ll have in your whole bodies.”

Teresa was probably the only woman in the entire state or country that could get Jon to be quiet. She was a short, somewhat rounder and curvier woman whom Jessie took most of her genes from, with the bright blonde hair she passed on to both of her children cut into a short bob and earthy brown eyes that could cut into the soul of even the most hardened of men. 

She may not have been in charge of the ranch’s inner workings like her husband was, but that didn’t mean she didn’t understand how those animals thought, felt, and operated. She knew better than anyone that Clay absolutely knew what he was doing when it came to caring for the livestock, even if his way of handling it was a little unorthodox. And it was something Clay knew and deeply appreciated about his mother; it was nice to have someone on his side of the fence.

“Thanks, Mama,” Clay chuckled humbly with a soft blush to his cheeks, sliding his gloves off to set them down beside his plate and picking up his utensils.

“They’re animals, Mama,” Jessie argued, poking her fork into her steak absentmindedly. “They don’t understand half the words comin’ out of his mouth.”

“They don’t need to, Jessie,” Teresa corrected her as she sat down in her own spot with her own plate, smiling patiently between her two children. “All they need is the sound and a calmin’ presence. Besides, that’s not somethin’ you necessarily need to be fussin’ about, is it?”

Realizing what Teresa was referring to, Jessie sat up with her chest swelling with a pride that her face practically glowed with. She laughed and nodded in agreement, glancing over to Clay and Jon to gauge both of their reactions.

“Hehe! I guess not,” Jessie chuckled as Jon hid a small, proud smile behind his glass of iced tea. “Couple o’ days from now, I’ll be off learnin’ how to fight. It suits me better than bein’ here on the farm anyway.”

“Y’know, there’s a lot more to Xiaolin than just fighting, Jessie,” Clay couldn’t help piping up in between one of his bites, earning confused, uneducated winces from his father and sister. “It’s about learning their philosophies and belief systems, finding peace with the world and yourself.”

“True enough. And Lord above knows she could use plenty of tutoring there,” Teresa giggled softly with a teasing smirk and shaking of her head.

“My point still stands,” Jessie interjected with a slightly annoyed look back to her brother, folding her arm across her chest as the other’s hand stabbed into her steak. “Clay’s good with the animals, I’m good at clocking people in the jaw. A place where I can learn to fight proper suits me and I’m gonna come back bein’ the best of the best, just you wait an’ see!”

“You know Clay’s got just as big a chance at bein’ this... special Xiaolin monk-dragon person as you, little lady,” Jon reminded her quietly.

It was only when Jon spoke that Jessie finally grew quiet, and Clay could feel her eyes wandering to him. Clay only caught her eyes, and the silent envy and jealousy hidden behind them, for a brief second before he ducked his own eyes back to his plate, his shoulders becoming tense and anxious. It was no great secret in the family that Clay was designated as the golden boy and the one who had less to prove to his father; he was the oldest, more mature, wiser, and best farm-hand in the family, while Jessie was quite the opposite of him.

And he knew Jessie knew what Jon thought of the both of them. He couldn’t necessarily blame Jessie for feeling the way she did whenever Jon vouched for him sooner than her, but it was still never a good feeling to have your baby sister look at your with such... animosity.

After a second, he cleared his throat and tried to look up to Jon with humility, his smile bashful.

“Aw, gee, Daddy, I know this is an equal opportunity role, but it’d suit Jessie better,” Clay chuckled humbly. “I’m no fighter... and I belong here on the farm. The livestock need me. I’m sure Jessie would do the Bailey name proud over in Beijing.”

While Jessie’s eyes grew slightly with surprise, followed by silent gratitude for his faith in Jessie’s abilities, Jon looked between the both of them with a cocked eyebrow, dumbfounded by Clay’s words. They thought for a moment it might have been surprise for Clay vouching for Jessie the way he did, but...

“Beijing? I thought it was in China.”

It took a second for what the family patriarch had said to fully process, but once it had, Jessie and Clay both couldn’t help throwing their heads back and howling with laughter, clutching their stomachs as the laughter strained against their ribcages. Even Teresa had to hide her own laughter behind a hand at Jon’s lack of geographical awareness, while Jon just looked between the three of them with a confused frown.

“What’d I say?”

* * *

The roosters crowed at the crack of dawn every single morning, like clockwork, signalling when the ranch was to awaken. Clay was up bright and early, as per usual, like nothing different or special was bound to happen that day. He got himself a quick shower, a fresh set of clothes on, and a spot of breakfast before heading out to start on the morning’s chores.

The morning was just the same as every other morning; feeding the chickens and collecting their eggs, feeding last night’s slop to the pigs, restocking the hay and feed for the sheep, cows, goats and horses, turning over all the animals’ water, and brushing the livestock. Just the way he prefered his mornings to go; spending it with the animals.

Since Teresa got the more high tech, state-of-the-art milking stations installed a couple months back, Clay no longer had to go in to milk the cows, goats or sheep, giving him another spot in the day to find time to sit down and get some Tai Chi practice in. After a long morning of doing and hustling, it was always good to slow down and get his breathing exercises in.

The orchard was the only place he could go to find any real peace and quiet, and the privacy to get in his Tai Chi practice. The apple orchard harvest wasn’t in just yet, so he was safe and away from the rest of the workers, and his family. Not that his Tai Chi was any grand secret to the family, but the last thing he needed while trying to calm down was getting told that his exercise was a waste of his day. Again.

The warm sun against his cheeks and the soft breeze rustling through the leaves, the grass and his hair, Clay took a deep breath and assumed his stance; feet shoulder-length apart and hands at his hips. He closed his eyes, feeling the gentle, calming forces of nature around him as they interacted with him and each other. The chirping of birds and the wind tossling playfully through the foliage around him devoid of any other noise pollution gave him the silence needed to center himself, slow down, and simply be for a few seconds.

His stance was firmly grounded, but his movements were smooth and fluid; steady and sure of where they were going. He was still something of a novice, but he’d practiced this beginner’s exrecise several times the last few years or so; his body and muscle memory knew well enough when to breath, when to pause, where his arms and shoulders would go, and every other small movement in between. His mind was clear of all his other troubles, focused solely on his movements and the nature that surrounded him.

When he heard footsteps, he almost assumed it was an animal roaming by. It only occurred to him that it was a person when they paused, then turn to approach him directly at an all-too-human pace to be an animal. His eyes slowly opened as he withdraw his arms back to his core, and turned to face whoever had caught him.

“You have excellent form.”

It wasn’t a voice he recognized complimenting him with an impressed tone. Clay’s opening eyes grew in surprise as he turned to face the man who had called out to him, and it was as though any pride he had felt before just completely melted through his feet into the ground. An elderly man, an obvious foreigner with his Asian tunic and no hair atop his head, standing amidst the trees with a thin reptile wrapped along his shoulders.

Clay’s chest swelled with this sense of awe and humility that he’d never felt before. This had to have been him; this had to have been Master Fung. His brain was frazzled for a moment, unable to create words for a few seconds.

“I-I--Why--Uhm...” His neck flushing with flustered embarrassment, he cleared his throat behind his hand to steady himself and reached up to slide off his hat as a show of respect, looking up to Master Fung with bashful gratitude of the compliment. “Th-Thank you kindly, sir. You don’t look like you’re from around these parts... or this country, for that matter. You must be Master Fung.”

“I am,” Master Fung confirmed with a gentle nod, glancing to Dojo as the tiny dragon gave Clay a curious look-over. “And this is my companion, Dojo.”

“Well... It’s an honor to meet you both, sir,” Clay greeted with a small smile, returning his hat to his head. “You must be looking for our ranch. My name’s Clay Bailey, my daddy runs the ranch here. I can show you to the farmhouse from here; my mama would love to treat ya’ll to some ice tea over lunch, if ya’ll prefer.”

“We would very much appreciate that, thank you,” Master Fung thanked with a small polite bow, allowing Clay to join by his side before turning to follow him through the orchard. “I must say I find it quite surprising to find the son of a cattleman undertaking the art of Tai Chi.”

Clay shrugged softly and glanced off to the side sheepishly.

“Normally, you wouldn’t find anyone out here practicing any kind of formal martial arts,” he explained. “But my uncle did a missionary trip off in China a couple years back, and well... When he came back, I was a pretty hot-headed kid; pickin’ fights with the other kids in school... and my sister. Turns out settin’ aside some time to breath and clear my head did me some good.”

Oh shoot, this was probably making Jessie look bad by comparison... or conflating his abilities too well to Master Fung. He wasn’t gonna take something from Jessie again, no sir; if he met Master Fung first, he was gonna sing her praises until the cows came home! So he straightened his back anxiously and turned to Master Fung with a wry grin, earning a curious look from both the older man and his dragon companion.

“B-But, uh, you should see my little sister when she gets into a scrap,” he chuckled nervously. “I’ll tell you, sir, you won’t find a better fighter her age than Jessie Bailey! She can knock a man twice her size flat on their butt, and take just as much as she can dish out, sir! Just needs a bit more discipline and fine tunin’; a trip to the temple would be great for her.”

“Mm. I see,” Master Fung mused quietly, exchanging a glance with a very quiet Dojo.

Oh, God, why did that make Clay so nervous?

* * *

“It’s so nice to have you here on our little farm, Mr. Fung!”

The family had all gathered by then, summoned by Teresa’s hollar out onto the rest of the ranch. Master Fung simply chuckled as he accepted the offered glass of iced tea with both hands. He was used to many people not refering to him by his official title, and considering he was a foreigner in these parts, it was an easy mistake to make; he didn’t mind. He watched Teresa sit down across the table from him as Clay pulled out the chair for her to sit down.

“Thank you. It is a pleasure to be here and meet you all,” Master Fung replied with a small smile and nod, watching Teresa pat Clay’s hand in a silent thanks for his polite gesture before Clay went to sit down in his spot at the table by Jessie. “Your hospitality is most appreciated, Mrs. Bailey.”

“Well, sir, we don’t have much, but it’s good to know our good ol’ Southern hospitality is still goin’ strong,” Teresa laughed in good natured gratitude for his comments, glancing over to Jon, who sat beside her quietly sipping on his own drink. “We can’t tell you how much of an honor it is to have such a respected martial art master comin’ to visit us--”

“So who’s the Dragon gonna be?” Jessie finally interjected with a blend of impatience and excitement in her voice, earning a stern look from her mother.

“Jessie...” Teresa hushed softly, though Master Fung could only look to Jessie with intrigue and inspection.

“You seem particularly excited,” he noted, bringing the cup up to take a slow sip as Jessie’s face lit up with pride.

“Yessir, I’ve made it no grand secret that I’m ready and rarin’ to go,” Jessie explained with a proud nod of her head. “I’m one of the best scrappers my age around these parts, sir, I could probably knock even my Daddy on his butt, give or take a couple minutes, or a couple throws.”

Jon had nothing to add to that, he just nodded with impartial agreement and continued listening. Master Fung’s brow rose for a moment as he glanced between the proud and excited Jessie, and Clay, who sat quietly in his spot, eating his sandwich and keeping his eyes averted away from Master Fung, trying not to attract attention to himself.

“So I understand... The letter I recieve did speak very highly of your accomplishments and skills, and your excitement at the prospect of honing your skills,” Master Fung mused with a small nod, glancing over to Clay next. “And what about you, Clay?”

Clay looked up fast, startled by hearing his name, as his shoulders spiked up for a moment.

“I-I’m sorry? What about me, sir?”

“Well, while you are both more than welcome to come to learn and train at our temple, as my letter stated, only one of you would have the potential to harness the power of a Xiaolin Dragon of Earth,” Master Fung reminded them. “Suppose it were you. Do you have any interest in becoming a Xiaolin Monk.

“W-Well...” Clay’s eyes trailed back to his plate for a moment as he lowered his sandwich back down onto it. “...I-I won’t lie and say no, sir. The idea certainly has some appeal. But I just don’t think I’m suited for it.”

“Oh?” Master Fung’s brow rose at this again, this time in surprise.

“Yeah, I’m best suited out on the range with the livestock, not learnin’ to fight up in the mountains,” Clay explained, glancing over to Jessie to make sure he wasn’t saying anything wrong. Jessie just gave him a look of surprise. “Jessie’s better suited for getting off the farm to go explore the world, learn new things... So that special power’s something you might be better off just givin’ to Jessie.”

Master Fung couldn’t help chuckling at this, earning quizzical looks from both Bailey children.

“Ah, but Clay, it is not something that can be given or taken,” he explained with a small shake of his head. “It is not something I can grant to either of you. The power to harness one of the many elements is a potential that you are naturally born with; a connection to a particular elemental force that is embedded deep in your spirit from birth. That force is beyond anyone’s control.”

This caught Clay’s attention, and he had to admit that there was a level of myth and magic to this that he couldn’t help but be drawn in to. He was under the impression that this was just going up into the mountains, learning a martial art, meditating and finding inner peace. He thought ‘harnessing the power of a dragon’ was just fancy talk from all of that, but Master Fung made it out to be like... it was actually some kind of superpower that someone could unlock with the proper training.

“So, you mean that ‘harnessing the power of a dragon’ ain’t just fancy talk for finding inner peace and power? It’s actually, like... magic superpowers?” Jessie asked with a raised tone of awe and zealousness, a wide grin spreading across her face.

“If it makes it easier to understand, yes. It is a power that few people possess, and even fewer can fully unlock the powers of a dragon,” Master Fung explained, glancing down to Dojo, who had been sitting in his lap nibbling on chips and beef shanks the entire conversation. “Dojo here is our temple’s guardian dragon, and has the ability to sense those whose connection with the forces of nature are strong enough to one day be able to unlock these great powers. He alone would be able to tell which one of you holds that power.”

So... it wasn’t anyone’s choice. Not even Master Fung’s. A sour pit began to form in Clay’s stomach, a part of his soul praying to God that it wasn’t him. He dreaded to think how Jessie would react if it was... especially with that look on her face. She was so happy and excited, he didn’t dare imagine how rejected or upset she’d be if it wasn’t her...

“So... h-how would he be able to tell?” Clay asked nervously. “Do we have to... do anything?”

“No, Clay,” Master Fung assured him, which only made Clay more anxious and rob him of any further control over the situation he might have had. “Some elements come more quickly to him than others, but Earth is a slow and patient element, and it make take him a bit to connect with your spirits and see which of you can become the Dragon of Earth. It should not take longer than a few minutes.”

Clay opened his mouth to say something, but it closed when nothing came out, and he just picked up his sandwich again to try to finish it. All he could do was sit and hope that Dojo came out and decided that Jessie was going to be the one. Honestly, he didn’t hate the idea of it being him, but as much as he liked the idea of the peace and quiet of the mountains, he couldn’t imagine a farm boy coming from the heartland of Texas to a Chinese temple. It being Jessie just... made the most sense. She was the roamer, she was the traveler, she was scrapper, she was the one who boasted how she would get off the farm and see the world. 

And Clay was just...

Just Clay.

“Of course,” Master Fung continued. “You both are more than welcome to join our temple regardless of who becomes the Dragon of Earth, provided that you have parental permission.”

Jessie rolled her eyes, realizing that he was talking about her, and folded her arms across the table.

“Mama and Daddy already said it was okay for me to go,” she assured him with a certain nod. “I mean, it just makes the most sense that it’s gonna be me anyway.”

Master Fung seemed to have a stray look of hesitation and doubt on his face, but it didn’t linger as he simply nodded in understanding and sipped on his tea. He glanced down to Dojo, and Dojo took a hard swallow of his food before giving Master Fung a doubtful look of his own.

“Well, if that is the case, I suppose it would behoove me to explain all the details to the both of you, in the meantime.”

Master Fung proceeded to give them the entire run-down he had given Kimiko and Grace several days prior; what the lifestyle would be like, what their responsibilities and duties would be while living at the temple, what training and their education would pertain to, and everything else that lied there-in. Then he moved on to the qualification that the chosen monks must be willing to defend the temple and the world from great evil... 

Clay couldn’t help leaning in with wonder and awe as much as his sister did. Protecting the world from evil, special spiritual abilities and powers... this was really starting to feel like something way bigger than either him or Jessie. Maybe even bigger than all of Texas... or the whole world! This wasn’t just a chance to learn, travel, and find inner peace, this was an important responsibility for whoever accepted the calling... Dragon or not.

Glancing over to Jessie, simply leaning back in her chair and nodding in understanding... part of Clay wondered if she was ready for something like that. If she had the discipline for it, if she even took this seriously. Then again, he supposed even if she didn’t, that was something Master Fung was going to end up drilling into her later down the line anyway, so...

Clay figured it was best not to fret about it. It wasn’t going to be him, anyway.

“WOAH!”

Master Fung’s sentence ended up being interrupted by Dojo suddenly sitting up in his lap, letting out some kind of bizarre grunting and stuttering noises as his scales seemed to crawl along with his wiggling body. Master Fung sat back slightly and Jessie even sat up to pay attention when Dojo suddenly shot up. This was finally the moment where even Jon put his drink down and pulled back the brim of his hat to pay more obvious attention to what was going on.

“What is it, Dojo?” Master Fung urged as he put a hand on top of Dojo’s head.

“I’ve connected with the Dragon of Earth,” Dojo explained as his body began to simmer down, sitting up to look between Jessie and Clay. “I can finally tell which one of these two has the Xiaolin energy inside them.”

While Jessie leaned in with anticipation, Clay’s body stiffened, his eyes darting between his sister, his parents, Master Fung, and then back to Dojo, the knot in his stomach coming back and twisting inside his gut again. He could feel Dojo sizing up the both of them, like a part of Dojo was invading his soul and inspecting him from the inside out.

Now that it was actually happening, now that he was here and would have to face whatever Dojo said next... being here suddenly terrified him. All time before or after this moment didn’t exist. His entire body went stiff as a board.

The words kept coming back to him in a semi-conscious mantra, almost like a prayer; if he said it to himself enough times, maybe it’d be true.

_It ain’t me._

_It ain’t gonna be me._

_There’s no way it could be me._

_It HAS to be Jessie._

_She’s the traveler, she’s the fighter._

_I don’t belong in Beijing._

_I’m just a farm boy._

_I’m nothing special._

_I’m not cut out to be any Xiaolin Dragon of Earth._

_I’m just--_

“It’s Clay.”

The weight of Dojo’s very blunt and sudden words hit the four Baileys like a ton of bricks, all eyes, wide and filled with mixed emotions of all sorts, shifting to land onto Clay. In that instant, Clay could feel his previously tightened jaw loosen enough to drop as far as it would go, his eyes wide as dinner plates.

“M... Me?” Clay all but breathed out once he finally found his voice again.

“Yep.” Dojo nodded with a degree of casuality he hadn’t expected him to have after dropping such a huge bombshell. Though for Dojo, maybe it wasn’t that big of one. “Come on, don’t look so shocked. You have a pretty strong connection with the earth; it’s practically written all over you. You felt it out there in the woods, didn’t you?”

Clay opened his mouth to object, but he... honestly couldn’t find the words to object to it. He only recognized it when Dojo pointed it out to him, but he couldn’t say Dojo was wrong. His shoulders slumped as he attempted to process this new information. Even though Dojo was right there saying it to his face, a part of him had a hard time believing it. He just couldn’t picture himself being something so... important.

Jon turned away from the rest of the table to look to the ground in thought, trying to process this for himself. Teresa just laughed softly and shook her head, folding her arms slightly.

“I suppose we should have seen somethin’ like this coming,” she sighed gently with a somewhat nostalgic smile tossed over to Clay. “Clay’s always gravitated towards martial arts and takin’ things slow and steady, ever since my brother came back from China. With the Tai Chi, studyin’ up on philosophy and being out with the animals and in the orchard more... I guess this makes sense.”

“...Yeah.” Everyone there finally turned over to Jessie and only noticed then that she’d sat up in her chair, her expression a dark one, matching her low, displeased tone. “Yeah, I guess we  _should_ have seen this comin’.”

Oh no.

Clay’s blood ran cold as he turned to Jessie, almost at a loss for what to tell her. While their parents and Master Fung might have seen jealousy and anger in her expression that grew increasingly darker, Clay could only see dejection and hurt in his baby sister’s eyes. They were both so sure it was going to be her, and poor Jessie had just gotten all of her hopes up... just to hear that Clay got what she wanted. 

Again.

“Jessie, I-I’m....” Clay stuttered, holding his hands out to her instinctively. “I’m so sorry, Jessie, I didn’t... I know you wanted... I-I thought...”

He wanted more than anything to console her, but he didn’t know what to say that would help her feel better. What could he tell her? There was nothing that could be done about this; this wasn’t decided by him, or Master Fung, or their parents, this was decided by fate. They were all stuck with this whether anyone liked it or not.

And he could tell Jessie didn’t like it one bit.

“Naw, you know what? It’s fine.” Jessie threw up her hands before planting them on the table and scooting herself away from the table, laughing sarcastically. “I mean, why should I be surprised that  _Clay the Golden Boy_  turned out to be this _ **Special Chosen One**_ , right?”

“Jessie, I know you’re upset, but don’t take this out on your brother,” Teresa gently scolded, attempting to reach for her to try to take her hand. “You can still go, honey, so there’s no sense in being angry at your brother. It’s not fair to--”

“Oh, you wanna talk about FAIR, Mama?!” Jessie finally barked as she turned to face Teresa more directly, her shoulders fight and her hands tightened into fists at her hips as her eyes glared daggers between both of her parents. “You wanna talk about what is and isn’t fair?! You wanna know what isn’t fair?! How I should have seen this comin’, how I should have known from day one that Clay was gonna get everything I wanted and prepared for,  _again_ , and yet I’m somehow still shocked by it!”

“Jessie Madeline, do  _not_ talk to your mother like that,” Jon warned her with a low but non-hostile tone, only for Jessie to huff, her face burning hot red.

“Oh, come off it, Daddy!” Jessie ordered, smacking her hand down onto the table. “You never had any faith that it was gonna be me, and don’t even try to tell me otherwise! Whenever  _anything_ special happens around here, it’s  _always_ about Clay! Either ‘cause he’s the oldest, or just cause he’s your favorite! I’m just sloppy seconds compared to Clay, aren’t I, Daddy?!”

It damn near broke Clay’s heart to hear Jessie talk about herself that way, to hear her snap and yell at her parents in a way he’d never seen before. He always knew she was frustrated and jealous, but he hadn’t expected this to be as much of a final straw as she was making it out to be. He looked to Master Fung, at a loss for words, and Master Fung didn’t seem to have any form of reaction to this beyond taking a slow breath, holding Dojo in his hands, and watching this whole thing unfold with sad disappointment.

Not judging anyone involved or appearing ready to get involved himself, simply sad that it was happening.

“Jessie! Now you know better than that,” Teresa scolded her more firmly this time. “We love you and Clay both just the same--”

“Really, now? Cause ya’ll sure as hell don’t act like it!”

“Jessie, now you stop, we have never treated you unfairly--”

“Oh, don’t give me that! Clay  _always_ came first to ya’ll!”

“This wasn’t anyone’s decision, Jessie, it just happened! And no one said this meant you can’t go! Although with you actin’ the way you are, I’m not sure if you have any business goin’ all the way to the other side of the world!”

“Ya see?! Ya’ll always find some kind of excuse t--”

“ ** _Jessie Madeline Bailey._** ”

The very air ran thick and cold. Everyone froze and stopped speaking whenever Jon took on that kind of tone, and all eyes darted to him; even Jessie became stiff and looked to Jon with wide, frazzled but still angry and dejected eyes when her full name was dropped. Clay and Jessie both could see that look on Jon’s face.

Embarrassment and angry. It wasn’t bombastic or loud, but it was felt just the same.

“This ain’t no way to act while we have company,” he said flatly, in that way that let them know they had one shot left to calm down before he actually did get loud. “I’m no less upset about this than you are, but you ain’t gonna be acting like this in front of a guest. If you expect us to treat you like an adult, I expect you to act like one. Now your either calm your britches or take your temper tantrum up to your room until you can.”

Clay hesitantly looked over to Jessie and found tears beginning to form in her eyes when Jon spoke to her that way. There was too much emotion for Jessie to fully process and she strained to even figure out what to do with herself in that moment, unable to respond or move for a second. Clay slowly stood up and reached out to gently place a hand on her shoulder.

“Jessie, I--”

**_THWAK_ **

He couldn’t react in time before, in one fluid motion, Jessie spun around, slamming the knuckles of her bald up fist square into his left eye. Jessie was a little under half his size, but she could throw one heck of a punch. Without him anticipating it, he was thrown back into his chair, his entire weight thrown into it; unable to catch onto his chair, his chair was simply flung to the side while he was able to grab ahold of the edge of the table and catch himself that way.

“ ** _Jessie!_** ” Clay heard his mother bark in a mix of shock and outrage by her daughter’s show of violence.

“Just forget it! Leave me the hell alone! All of ya’ll!” He heard Jessie shout out to everyone in the room before rushing past him and towards the stairs to their bedrooms.

“Jessie, wait--!” Clay called out to her with a crushed voice, the pain still not yet registering as he pushed himself up and watched after her.

“Clay--!” Jessie briefly paused and turned to him for just a moment, looking to him with a short look of apology and dejection before it was replaced with her overwhelming outrage and heartache. “Just... go already! Go off to this special monk school, go get all these special superpowers, be the big hero, make a whole bunch o’ new friends, just... Just get goin’ and  _stay gone_!!”

That was the last thing Jessie shouted at him before pushing off the wall and rushing up the stairs. Once his sister was out of sight, Clay’s limbs felt like lead, his heart felt like it had physically shattered inside his chest, and the heat and pain surrounding his left eye had finally begun to process. Somehow, he felt like he had betrayed his little sister, through no direct action of his own. Somehow, his mere existence was a betrayal towards his flesh and blood.

He hadn’t meant to get her hopes up, he just wanted her to have some confidence and faith in herself. 

“Mr. Fung, I am so sorry about all this,” Teresa apologized on Jessie’s behalf. “She’s not normally like that, I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”

“It’s quite alright,” Master Fung assured them. “I could tell she had her heart set on becoming a Xiaolin Dragon.”

“You alright, Clay?” Clay heard his father asking him very flatly from behind him.

Clay wasn’t sure how to respond. He could tell... Jon wasn’t happy to hear Clay, his best farmhand and the first heir to the ranch, was being asked to leave everything behind to go off to Beijing. Clay couldn’t say he was happy about it either... not after all that. The revelation was enough of a shock, but seeing how badly it had effected Jessie... He couldn’t bring himself to face his father or look him in the eye. 

Jessie was right. He was the favored child. No one even went to follow Jessie to try to talk to her or see if she was okay or ask why this hurt her the way it did. It was only apologies over her behavior, only checking to see if Clay was okay.

He felt sick.

His fingers rose up to trace the outline of where Jessie had punched him. He took a slow, deep, shaky breath and, after a few seconds of thoughtful silence, he made his way for the front door around the corner.

“I’m sorry, I... I need some air,” he murmured apologetically to everyone in the room. “I need to think.”

He picked up his fallen hat off of the ground, slid it over his hair and hurried out the door before anyone could try to stop him. It might have been rude to walk out on company, but he couldn’t stay there a second longer, lest his emotions start to take over and make him start saying or doing things he would regret.

* * *

Clay wasn’t sure how long he’d been out in the orchard when he overheard footsteps approaching him from behind. It had to have been several hours, since the sun was just beginning to set by then, but it wasn’t like he was keeping track. He normally came here to this river by horseback, but he couldn’t imagine what his stress and anger would do to the horse, so he’d stormed all the way here himself, if only to try to expend more energy.

It didn’t work. He was still rubbing his heavily scrapped and bloodied knuckles which strung from the blows made against them by the tree bark he’d repeatedly punched, occasionally dipping them into the frigid waters to try to ease some of the pain and wash out more blood, both fresh and dry. His hat discarded off to the side, his hair tousled and messy, the angry, heartbroken tears still wet on his face...

He was a mess, to say the least.

“Are you alright?”

He jumped in place when he felt Master Fung’s shadow cast over his back, and heard his voice ask him gently. He turned his hand up to cup some of the water in his palm, bringing up the water to his face in an attempt to wash off the tear stains and clean himself up a bit. He shook the water off of his face and out of his bangs before attempting to dry his face with his sleeve, hoping Master Fung hadn’t seen him like that in his reflection.

“O-Oh, uh...” He choked slightly before clearing his threat and turning to face Master Fung with as polite of a smile as he could manage. “Howdy, Master Fung, sir. Y-Yeah, I’m... alright now. S-Sorry for runnin’ off on you just then, I just...”

“It is alright, Clay,” Master Fung assured him as he came to sit beside him by the river bed, his expression to Clay gentle and apologetic. “I am sorry that this situation has caused your family such emotional distress.”

“To be honest with you, Master Fung,” Clay sighed as he turned away from him, reddened, puffy eyes casting down to the side of his reflection in the water. “...something like this has been coming for a long time, this was just the straw that broke the camel's back. My Daddy’s always treated me like I’m somethin’ special. He put all these expectations and responsibilities on me, and he always paid so much attention to me since he... always expected me to become this... great man that would take over the ranch and make him proud one day. And Jessie was always just... Jessie to him. I never wanted to see it that way, sir, but seein’ how everyone acted earlier, it...”

He trailed off after this, shaking his head.

“It’s... given me a lot to think about.”

“I see...” Master Fung stroked his beard in thought for a moment, glancing down to the ailing scrapes and cuts on Clay’s knuckles. “...so what will you do in light of this?”

“Well, sir, I’ve been givin’ your offer a great deal of thought,” Clay murmured thoughtfully, flexing his hands to try to numb his hands to the pain and burning. “And... I think it might be for the best if I take you up on it. I don’t know what my sister’s gonna do, but I think I need some time away from all this. It’s not what I wanna do, but... It’s probably for the best.”

It really wasn’t what he wanted. If he had it his way, he’d be on his quaint, simple little farm forever with nothing to worry about but keeping the farm alive. But if he threw away the opportunity fate had robbed from his sister, that’d be even more of an insult.

“Besides,” he continued as he sat up a bit. “This sounds like it’s bigger than me or... Jessie or... any one of us. If I’m the only one who can be this Dragon of Earth in the whole dang world, then... I figure it’s my responsibility to the rest of the world, which, ya know. My family happens to live in.”

“You have an admirable sense of duty and selflessness, Clay,” Master Fung assured him with a smile, reaching to place a hand on his shoulder as his comment finally brought a smile to Clay’s face.

“Thank you, sir.” Clay tipped his hat slightly in appreciation, glancing up to the sky in thought. “I guess I’ll need to head to the city and get myself a passport. And figure out how to drum up the money to get to Beijing, huh?”

“A passport is necessary, yes, but your transition to China will have full financial support by our financial benefactor,” Master Fung explained, earning a surprised look from Clay. “You and the other monks will be staying at a hotel, and once everyone who accepts the position has arrived, our caretaker will come to guide you all to the temple.”

“Well, that’s pretty generous of you, Master Fung, thank you.” Clay used his knee as a support to push himself up, rising to stand. “I guess I’d better get back and start gettin’ all my affairs in order. And try to see if Jessie’s okay before I head out to the passport office--”

Clay flinched when he heard the loud sounds of a branch snapping from a tree just behind the two of them, following by the sounds of several objects falling to the ground and a loud shout and grunt. Both Master Fung and Clay whirled around to find Dojo sprawled out on the ground, trapped under a tree branch, groaning, surrounded by dozens of apple cores and only half-ripe apples as his stomach seemed to swell slightly from the amount he’d apparently eaten.

While Master Fung just rolled his eyes and shook his head, Clay couldn’t help laughing as he made his way for Dojo and got down on his knees, lifting the tree branch off of Dojo’s engorged body.

“Howdy there, Dojo,” he chuckled. “Y’know those aren’t ripe yet, right?”

“They’re ripe enough,” Dojo groaned as he rolled over onto his back, his tongue flopping out of his mount dramatically.

With another good natured laugh, Clay shook his head and gathered Dojo up into his hands, gently cradling him so as not to irritate his full stomach.

“C’mon, little buddy, let's get you back to the house before you eat yourself to death.”

Dojo groaned in pain and curled up in Clay's hands while Master Fung stood to join by Clay, extending his hands to try to take Dojo from him. Clay gently slid Dojo into Master Fung's hands, and Master Fung guided Dojo into the inner coat of his tunic before looking back up to Clay curiously. "I will be returning to the farmhouse. Your mother has offered us lodge in the guesthouse for the night. You do not have to come back until you are ready... but I would recommend making peace with your family before leaving, if that is your intention."

Master Fung turned and made his way through the trees to head back to the farmhouse before Clay had time to respond. Clay watched him until he was out of sight entirely, soon turning back to his own bruised and stained reflection in the river. 

He still wasn't 100% sure about this.

He still didn't really even believe he deserved something like this.

But it was happening. 

And if fate was calling him to Beijing, well...

So be it, then.


	5. Wood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: Emotional and Mental Abuse. Imagery of Mental Illness, including Panic Attacks and PTSD.

_Wood is an element of balance and harmony, that which possesses the perseverance to endure all hardships, adapt to the elements, and emerge far stronger than before._

_The beautiful and delicate flowers that fade as quickly as they are grown._

_The unassuming yet powerful and awe-inspiring oak which endures against all other elements and even time itself._

_The fragile leaves that wither and fall, then rise back anew._

_The mighty bamboo which stands to tower over all of life around_ _it,_ _yet is easily torn and consumed by the gentle panda bears._

_Nature itself, constantly woven in an endless cycle of growth, death, and rebirth._

_The Dragon of Wood must pay great mind to this very tenuous balance, between that of strength, power, and immovability, and kindness, beauty, and frailty._

_Lest, without this harmony of self, they fall prey to their own weaknesses; be it from a lack of fortitude or a lack of love._

* * *

Geographically opposite to the heartland of Texas, up in the warm, temperate and pristine mountains of Maine, far from the bigger town further down the mountain, there lay a small Native American reservation in a forested valley, announced to all as "Monarch Point Native Reservation" by all the signs at the borders entering and exiting the reservation.

As with many Native American reservations all across the United States, much of the reservation's residents suffered financially, and it showed. Many of the residential homes were haphazardly held together with natural resources from the land around them, few of them were little more than large or small trailers for the less economically fortunate. The small collection of little convenience stores, specialty shops and a handful of schools were some of the few buildings on the reservation to have a higher degree of furnishing and cleanliness.

One of the houses, surrounded by thick trees and one dirt road leading to the rest of the reservation in one direction and towards the small town a few miles away from the reservation, looked close to what one might find in a normal suburban neighborhood; much larger than the other houses, unbroken windows, fresh tiling and paint job, a large, fenced in backyard housing a decent sized garden and several small pens for pigs, ducks, chickens, goats and sheep, and - most importantly - electricity and running water. It still only had one floor, but it had many more rooms than all the others on the reservation.

18-year-old Nita Baker was part of the reason why.

Normally, the house was quiet and empty, with her younger brothers and sisters all off at school and her two parents off running errands, selling goods at the farmer's market off the reservation or helping out some of the other tribe members with repairs. Today was not one of those days.

From her small bedroom dimly lit by the evening light skimming through the window shades, it was all she could do the block out the muffled sounds of her mother barking out orders, siblings calling out to each other and their mother, things being moved or cleaned, and people running all around the house trying to make things presentable. All the noise and activity... it was just too much for her.

Being a tall, somewhat chubbier girl, it was somewhat awkward for her to huddle up in the corner of the room where her bed met the wall, but she needed that flat surface behind her as she rocked back and forth, lightly but forcefully tapping her back and the back of her head against the brick wall. Her bent knees somewhat supported the large Great Pyrenees dog resting in her lap, Kiona, who simply laid there quietly as her dark-skinned hands, splotched with bright patches that lacked any pigment, gripped and stroked his thick white fur. Her entire body seemed completely hidden by her long-sleeved, pale green shirt, matching dark green skirt, and brown leggings, thick and long dark brown hair shielding her dark-skinned, vitiligo streaked face from the rest of the world.

Soft calming music lightly played in her earbuds from her cell phone, just loud enough to muffle the noise outside, but not loud enough to block out the two loud knocks on her bedroom door. Her rocking stopped and her body stiffened as she pulled one earbud out, her other hand gripping at Kiona's fur as he dutifully sat up and looked towards the door.

"Hey, Cubby," the calm, sweet voice of her older sister called through the hand-carved wooden door, earning a heavy sigh of relief from Nita. "Can I come in and turn the lights on?"

Her body finally relaxing, Nita pulled her other earbud out and brought a hand up to tap her knuckles on the wall behind her three times, dark brown eyes closing in preparation for the lights. She could hear the door slowly opening and closing, followed by the flick of the light switch. It took her a second to blink her eyes open and adjust to the flood of light from the ceiling fan's lamp, and by the time she opened her eyes, Kiona realized who it was and rested his head back down on the bed again.

It was a relief to see her older sister, Aiyana Stellar, leaning against the door and looking down to her with a patient smile, dressed comfortably in a floral sundress, a matching blazer and black flats, her beautiful straightened black hair in an elegant braid. Just seeing Aiyana was enough to bring a small smile to Nita's face. She was everything Nita admired about the modern woman; beautiful, strong, kind, intelligent, and so brave. Much braver than her, anyway. 

"Mom wanted me to check on you," Aiyana explained in an intentionally soft, calm voice. "She wants to know why you're not out here cleaning, but... I just came to see if you were okay."

Nita's smile faltered for a moment before she gave a small shrug, finally pulling her hands up away from Kiona as they moved closed to and away from her body to properly speak to Aiyana in American Sign Language. It was somewhat crude and a bit messy, as her hands still shook and she was still getting used to the proper gestures and a few Native specific phrases, but she knew that it was always enough for Aiyana to understand.

' _Yeah, I'm okay now,_ ' she silently assured her.' _It was just a lot going on downstairs. Mom's taking this really seriously._ '

"She's always like that with company," Aiyana sighed with a soft shrug of her own. "I guess she just really wants to make a good impression with Master Fung. Have you given going to the temple any thought?"

Nita's hands slowly succame to gravity at this question, lowering back down to Kiona's fur for a moment. She hated to make Aiyana wait for an answer, but she really needed to think about how to word what she was thinking. It had been a solid month since her family had received the letter from Master Fung stating that one of their family members was supposed to be the destined Xiaolin Dragon of Wood. She still remembered how her parents glowed with pride the day they got the news that one of their children was destined for greatness.

It was a family-wide consensus that there was no way it was going to be Nita; it had to have been her older brother instead, the eldest of the family. The letter had expressed that anyone over the age of 13 was also allowed to ask to join the Xiaolin lifestyle if they chose, so it was enough to give Nita something to think about.

But voicing that opinion once was enough to learn very quickly why that simply wasn't an option for her.

It took a few seconds, but eventually, her hands rose again.

' _I did think about it, but I don't see the point._   _Mom and Dad would never let me go._ '

This earned a confused and doubtful squint from Aiyana as she made her way over to the bed and slowly sat down beside her.

"Well, I mean... you're turning 18 this year, so that should count for you to be able to make your own decision, right?" Aiyana pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

Nita couldn't help raising a thick brow at Aiyana in return, equal doubt in her own expression. When Nita didn't say or sign anything, Aiyana rubbed her hand up her face and sighed softly, looking back to Nita with a pinched brow filled with concern.

"Nita... answer honestly: do you wanna go or not?" She asked firmly.

Nita's shoulders fell and her eyes trailed away from her sister and back to Kiona's fur. That wasn't as difficult of a question to answer as she was making it out to be, if she was being perfectly honest with herself. She knew she was making it a little more complicated than it needed to be, but she couldn't help feeling caught between a rock and a hard place; like no matter what she said, it would end in tears either way. Once she realized she was taking too long to respond, she sighed heavily again and brought her hands back up.

' _I don't know. I don't wanna be here anymore, but I don't know if I could handle the change. I'm too weak. I don't wanna be, but I couldn't handle it.'_

Aiyana gave her that frustrated look again; that look that Nita hated to get, the one that always made her look down the second she saw it. It was frustration out of care, but she still hated to annoy her. It wasn't as though she wasn't aware of how unnecessarily pessimistic and self-deprecating she sounded, but there was a sad truth to it. As much as she hated it, she couldn't ignore that her problems were... well, _problems_. Problems that made her slower, weaker, needier than those around her. She couldn't just pretend otherwise.

Aiyana's frustrated melted a bit until only the concern and care remained. She reached over to pet Kiona's fur slightly, grazing close to Nita's hands as they pet Kiona's fur too. Nita could tell it was a gesture of affection without actually having to touch her, and considering Kiona wasn't wearing his vest, she appreciated it, if nothing else.

"Nita, I really think you should push for this," Aiyana insisted lovingly. "This place isn't good for you, you need to go somewhere else; somewhere that's quieter and better equipped to support you. I'll help you--I'll vouch for you, Joseph'll vouch for you."

Nita's smile returned this time; it was weak and frail, but she couldn't fight it this time. Aiyana really was her personal guardian angel sometimes, or at least she tried to be. She wasn't always around to be able to look out for her the way she did when she visited, but when she was around, she was one of Nita's best support systems. Aiyana's optimism and faith in Nita's abilities and future was nothing short of heartwarming.

' _Aiyana, I know what you're trying to do and I really appreciate it,_ ' Nita assured her with a warm smile as she signed to her, though the warmth was still laced with a defeated sadness.  _'But unless I turned out to be this... Dragon of Wood, I don't think there's anything I could tell them that would convince them to let me go.'_

"I honestly don't see any good reason they would have not to let you go," Aiyana argued again with a short shake of her head. "Mom's been complaining about how..."

Aiyana winced, waving her hand and lightly snapping her fingers as she struggled to find the words. Nita's shoulders deflated and her expression was unchanging. It was sweet of Aiyana to try to spare her feelings of what they both already knew, but her efforts were pointless. Nita slowly shook her head and shrugged softly.

_'I'm too much of a burden on the family, I know. I cost too much money, I need a room to myself, I sap all the bandwidth we have for school, I need all this stuff just to function as a human being... I get it,'_ Nita summarized to Aiyana with another defeated shrug, earning another frustrated look from her. _'But you heard Mom when Joseph suggested it yesterday. I couldn't handle it. I'm too weak. I'd get crushed and come crawling back within the first few months. They probably don't have internet, it's a shot in the dark on whether they'll let Kiona come, and... the other students probably won't like me.'_

"Those are all _really_ grand assumptions, Nita." Aiyana's stance relaxed a bit as she leaned back, tapping on her chin in thought before looking back to Nita with a bit more of a hopeful look. "Okay, so... let's assume you ARE the Dragon of Wood."

Nita couldn't help laughing quietly, even as Aiyana gave her a sharp look.

"I'm serious!"

_'I know you are, I'm sorry.'_

"I mean, there's no telling until he gets here. So... what if you are? Just, play along with me for a second. IF you were the Dragon of Wood, would you lean more to going?"

Looking around and rocking back and forth slightly in thought, Nita pondered the idea a bit. The concept of her being something special like that was still very silly to her, but humoring her sister and assuming she was... then she would certainly have a hard time saying no. She slowly looked back up to Aiyana and carefully nodded.

"Then that's where your instincts are leaning. It'd be best for everyone if you went somewhere quieter to build up your strength and your confidence and... ya know, found yourself a bit. Even if you had to change up your lifestyle for it, you could adapt with enough time, right?"

Nita brought up her hands to sign back, but couldn't find the words to respond inside her mind. She realized she had no room to argue; Aiyana wasn't wrong. Scary though the idea was, Nita knew she could adapt to her new surroundings with time. Possibly. Depending on the willingness of the people there to help her adapt. With nothing in her arsenal to argue with, she just wrapped her arms around Kiona and leaned into him.

"So... what've you got to lose by trying to go? It'd be good for everyone, wouldn't it? But I think it's most important that it'd be good for you. I think some time away from all this would be good for you, you know?" Aiyana insisted with a kind smile.

Nita couldn't find the words - mentally or physically - to respond. She just stared down to the bed, trying to find the words, when they both could hear the sudden sounds of footsteps approaching the door. They anticipated a knock, but instead, the door just abruptly opened without warning. Nita flinched in alarm and hid her face in Kiona's fur as Aiyana whirled around to see who it was. Standing in the doorway was their mother, Cheyanne, a much older, much more athletic and muscular African American woman with thick silver streaks in long, thick black hair, her figure flattered by a somewhat nicer sundress that Aiyana had bought her some time ago.

Cheyanne looked between the both of them with a hand on her hip and an annoyed look, which Aiyana traded with an irritated look of her own. Kiona sat up and put himself between Nita and Cheyanne instinctively.

"What are you two talking about in here?" Cheyanne demanded quietly. "I thought you two would be coming back down to help with dinner by now."

"Mom, we talked about this, you have to knock first," Aiyana reminded her rather harshly as she folded her arms, trying her best to talk patiently. "Nita's having a hard time today."

"Aiya, she's always having a hard time," Cheyanne muttered with an obvious roll of her eyes. "What difference does today make?"

"A stranger's going to be in our house and you've been yelling and running everyone ragged all day. That kind of stress is hard on her," Aiyanna sighed with a frustrated dip in her brow.

"What stress _isn't_ hard on her?" Cheyanne shook her head and looked between the both of them in rising agitation, and Nita could feel herself shivering against Kiona the more her mother's voice rose. "I'm just as stressed about this as she is, but I'm down there making things presentable--"

"Mom, you're gonna make Kiona have a fit," Aiyana interrupted with a nod over to Kiona; Nita's meltdowns were never enough to calm Cheyanne's nerves, but reminding her of the very protective dog usually did. "Just jump to what you came up here for so we can figure things out, okay?"

Becoming quieter now, Cheyanne looked between both of them with a critical look, especially towards Nita. Nita couldn't see it; she was still hiding and rocking against Kiona and just listening to what was going on. Nita could feel Kiona become tense, even if he was still being quiet. She only looked up when she heard Cheyanne sigh in defeat.

"Company's going to be here this evening and I need help in the kitchen. The boys are just about done cleaning up." Cheyanne looked back to Nita directly again, but this time a bit calmer; at least in a way Nita could stand to look at. "Nita, do you think you could go see which of the crops in your garden project are ready to use? We could probably use them for dinner tonight."

Relaxing a little, Nita let out the held in breath and looked back down to the bed in thought again. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to recall how her fenced-in garden down the road was going. If she recalled correctly, none of the vegetables were--

"Nita, I asked you a question," Cheyanne interrupted with an annoyed huff as she folded her arms, causing Nita to stiffen again as her thoughts stumbled and became disorganized again.

"Give her a minute, Mom, she's thinking," Aiyana scolded firmly, bringing a hand up to Nita's shoulder to help her relax again. "She needs time to remember, you know that."

Cheyanne rolled her eyes sharply, but didn't say anything to object. She leaned against the doorframe with an impatient twitch in her leg as Nita took a deep breath to try to calm down and get her thoughts back on track. Garden, vegetables--right, the vegetables weren't fully grown yet, so none of the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes or corn she was growing were edible just yet. But as she mentally scanned through the entire grid of her garden, she remembered the berry bushes planted close by.  _They_  were in season and ripe for the picking; she remembered making a note of it. Sitting up in recollection, her arms withdrew from Kiona and she turned to Aiyana with a timid but hopeful smile on her face.

_'I think the blueberries are ready,"_ she cautiously signed to her, earning an understanding nod from Aiyana. ' _But that's it._ '

"What did she say?" Cheyanne sighed impatiently.

"She says the blueberries are probably in by now. The rest are still growing, so I don't think there's anything we can use tonight..." Aiyana explained with a helpless shrug over to her mother.

Once the blueberries had crossed her mind, Nita wracked it to figure out what they could be used for... fruit salad, smoothies, milkshakes... dessert...

She suddenly sat up again with an extra bounce in her frame, a new jolt of excitement rushing through her as she audibly gasped. With a newfound smile of adulation, she turned to Aiyana as her hands moved rapidly and excitedly. Aiyana turned back to Nita, making sure to pay attention and read her hands carefully as they moved much quicker than they usually did.

_'Ask her if I can make dessert when she's done in the kitchen!_ _I could make blueberry cobbler!'_

Aiyana giggled and smiled at her newfound excitement, nodding and wrapping an arm around Nita's shoulders to pull her closer into a half-hug. Nita couldn't help laughing from the gesture and wrapped an arm around her in return as Aiyana looked back to their mother with an amused smile

"Oh, and she wants to know if she can make some kind of dessert in the kitchen when you and me are done in there," she chuckled. "She's thinking about making a blueberry cobbler with the blueberries from her garden."

Cheyanne's annoyed and confused expression melted into one of thoughtful concern at this point. She pushed away from the door frame and looked down to the ground with uncertainty, her shoulders rising to her ears.

"I'm not sure we have anything for something like that," she murmured in a slightly more caring and soft tone of voice. "You'd have to head off the reservation for stuff like that."

Nita's smile immediately fell and her body grew tense again, her arm tightening around her sister's frame. She wasn't sure if Cheyanne mentioned this because she cared about her safety, she just wanted to shoot down something that she was excited about, or a twisted mix of both, but whatever her aim was, it most likely got the intended reaction. Nita looked up to Aiyana with a nervously pinched brow. As much as she didn't like it here, the idea of leaving the reservation and heading down into the city terrified Nita. It was always so loud and crowded, and she and her siblings always got stares, looks, even comments about their hair or their obvious Native heritage. Going off the reservation being surrounded by so many people carried so much risk and was ridiculously overwhelming.

But... the cobbler. She didn't know why, but Nita felt a sense of urgency rush through her at the idea of not being able to contribute to welcoming their guest. She was likely going to fade into the background anyway, the least she could do was _offer_ something. But even still, she hated the idea of going alone.

Sensing her anxiety, Aiyana nodded and smiled to her warmly, her arm leaving her shoulders and moving down to rub her back reassuringly. Nita couldn't help leaning into Aiyana as her body slowly relaxed...

"Joseph could take her shopping in a few minutes, actually. She's usually fine shopping as long as someone's with her," Aiyana suggested as her eyes turned back to Cheyanne but her head did not; her eyes plead for sympathy from her mother. "Nita really likes to bake, Mom, and it'd be her little contribution to making company feel welcome. She really wants to and we all know that she's wicked talented at it, so why not let her?"

Aiyana slowly pulled away from Nita, earning her attention now. Aiyana brought up a hand to sign something to her, and Nita's eyes trailed down to read it carefully.

_'Plus, it'd give you an excuse to get out of the house and away from all the stress.'_

Nita's eyes widened in sudden realization. Aiyana may have been vouching for her to give her a chance to do something she wanted, but more importantly, she was trying to give her an out. With her sister's husband standing by and looking out for her, shopping would go a lot smoother and she'd certainly feel a lot safer with him. Nita slowly nodded in understanding, taking a deep breath and turning to look directly at Cheyanne. 

A tremble racked through her body as she struggled to make eye-contact with her very uncertain and impatient mother. Looking to her mom for too long gave her the shivers, every single time. She had no idea how she was going to react a lot of the time and so much as looking at her and arguing in her defense took a lot of deep breaths and summoning of her inner courage. She felt like she was going to suffocate standing in her mother's shadow.

But she had to say something. Anything to vouch for herself. So she took a deep breath, straining and fighting against her own broken voice.

"I-I-I... I-I re-really wanna... bake to-tonight..." She finally said aloud.

Speaking verbally always made her stomach twist into three different knots. She couldn't help it. Speaking was always so hard for her; she always stuttered, tripped, and fought against an invisible force that caused her throat to tighten when she spoke. But it was her only means of communicating with her mother, so even if Cheyanne's eyes narrowed impatiently as Nita struggled to speak, she gave it her best shot anyway, doing her best to be brief.

The stare that Cheyanne gave her was terrifying. Nita had no idea what to read it as. Anger? Concern? Suspicion? Irritation? It was so hard to figure out her mother's emotions just by her facial expressions. Her furrowed brow and pursed lips could have meant anything. But ultimately, Cheyanne rolled her eyes again and sighed, shrugging softly as her arms unfolded.

"Alright, fine, go ahead," she conceded in defeat. "Just try to make it quick. And be careful going off the reservation."

Without waiting for a response, Cheyanne pulled out of the door and closed the door behind her. The air in the room became much less thick and tense, and Nita could finally release the breath she was holding, hiding her face in Aiyana's chest as her hands lightly gripped at Aiyana's sundress. Aiyana smiled proudly down to her little sister and wrapped her arms around her, rubbing her back and stroking the back of her hair.

"Good job, Cubby. I'll go tell Joseph to pull the car up. You get ready to head out, okay?" 

Taking another deep breath, Nita pulled away and nodded up to Aiyana, glowing with a new sense of pride. She shouldn't have felt so proud simply for voicing her wants around her mother, but so much as speaking up for herself always made her feel better about herself. She let go of Aiyana and turned to pull herself off the bed. Aiyana pushed herself off too and she reached up to lightly ruffle Nita's hair with a proud, happy chuckle. Nita lightly swatted at her hand to make her stop, but couldn't help laughing with her; it was uncomfortable, but it was all in good play.

She watched Aiyana make her way out of the room, opening and closing the door behind her, as she straightened up her hair again.

Alone again.

Nita stretched to work the tension out of her body before moving over to her small closet, pulling it open and looking through what few clothes she had. There wasn't a lot hidden away in her closet; just a handful of different shirts, sweaters, pants and skirts... most of them the same kind in different colors, almost all of them faded and worn from age and overwashing. A small shelf tucked away in the corner held a handful of books and a few video games; she made a mental note to pick one of them up at some point when everything was said and done. It had been too long since she sat down with a good book or video game... 

She missed looking through it and finding her old Native dress in there. She didn't realize how much she'd miss seeing it in there until it was gone... She let out a sigh to relieve herself of those memories, moving on back to her task.

She quickly narrowed down her favorite dark green, leaf-print hooded jacket and threw it on. She grabbed the small backpack resting on the top of her shelf and moved about her room with it to gather her 'necessary supplies' and make sure she had everything she needed to head out.

Cell phone. Headphones. Water bottle. Wallet. Cash. IDs. Hair ties. Hairbrush. Hair clips. Stim toys. Gummy snacks and granola bars she had hidden in her backpack. Chewables, in case she had to swap with [the one she was already wearing](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRZa2yMZq0yEmFo-1YmVSOzQyiuG1tuirKr188JJOZkBUCYLSEO)... and lastly, Kiona's vest and leash, resting beside her bed. Content to have found everything she needed, she zipped the bag closed, threw it over her shoulders, kneeled down to pick up the vest, and whistled for Kiona to jump off the bed. He dutifully stood up and lept from the bed, standing beside her and allowing her to slide his legs through the vest. She adjusted it properly to make sure all of his patches were showing before locking it into place. She tested it to make sure it wasn't too tight or too loose, and only once she was sure of that did she lock on his leash, stand up, slip on her sneakers resting by the door, and rush to the door to face the rest of the world.  

Once she turned off the lights and closed the door behind her, she was relieved to hear that things were finally starting to settle down. She could overhear her younger siblings playing a video game in the living room; a fighting game, if she was hearing correctly. She made her way through the clean but barely decorated hallway towards the living room. It was a comfortable, warmly decorated room; just a sofa, recliner, rug, coffee table, and a TV, Native apparel adorned on the wall over the sofa.

It only took a second to notice that all four of her adorable younger siblings - ten-year-old triplets Donny, Danny, and Elle, and four-year-old Enola - surrounded their older brother; the family's eldest, Nuka. He was a very handsome and rugged young man in his late 20's, darker skinned than his other siblings, his thick black hair up in a dense man-bun, goatee evenly shaved down to a 5'oclock shadow, and still wearing his black, leather biker's jacket, ripped jeans and t-shirt, and biker's gloves. He wasn't dressed anywhere near as nicely as everyone else, in fact he seemed ready to head out the door the second this was all over, but he didn't seem to care too much about it. He just sat on the sofa, surrounded by the children with a content, half-sober smile on his face, some kind of drink in his hand. 

Nita could smell it from where she was and her face scrunched in disgust. She couldn't tell what it was, but it was some kind of alcohol. 

"You aren't really gonna go, are you?" Donny pleaded with Nuka as he leaned back into the sofa with him, struggling with his brother to gain one over his sister in Smash Ultimate.

"God, I hope not," Nuke chuckled with a shake of his head, taking another brief sip of his drink as he lightly shrugged; one arm moved to pull Enola up into his lap to prevent her from sliding off the sofa so she could readjust herself. "I know Mom and Dad are making a big fuss about this whole thing, but their assumption is purely based on me being the oldest. I doubt it's gonna work out like that. It could be anyone--hell, it could be Aiyana."

"Or one of us?" Danny asked, turning to Nuka with a hopeful look on his face after his Fox avatar died for the final time.

"Well, maybe, but you guys are kinda too young to be going off to China on your own."

"What about Nita?" Elle suggested absentmindedly as her Zero Suit Samus effortlessly sent Donny's Captain Falcon off the stage.

Nita's brow bounced in surprise. She wasn't expecting someone besides Aiyana to genuinely vouch for her, but Elle seemed to propose it like this was common sense. It was a little heartwarming, though a little naive, in Nita's opinion. Nuka opened his mouth to respond, but his dark eyes noticed Nita had entered in his peripheral, and he sat up, turning to her with a big smile on his face.

"Oh, hey, Nita!" He greeted with a wave of his free hand, looking her over for a second. "You going somewhere?"

Now, Nita knew that Nuka was the only other person besides Aiyana and Joseph to read sign language. Not for her sake, he learned it through one of his deaf biker bros, but he could read and speak it regardless. But when it came to Nuka, she rarely felt the need to sign to him. He never minded waiting for her to speak, and she could be brief with him. So instead of struggling to recall the gesture, she just gripped at the straps of her backpack.

"....sh-shop-shopping." She murmured plainly.

"Oh, cool, what'cha getting?"

"...bak-baking stuff."

"Neat. Oh, hey, if I give you a $20, can you pick up some Nicotine gum for me? I was gonna, but if you're going out anyway..." Nuka requested with a charming, playful bounce of his eyebrows as he reached into his jacket to pull out a $20 bill.

Nita couldn't help rolling her eyes. Heaven knew where he got that kind of money doing nothing but traveling, but that was hardly any of her business. She shrugged and nodded passively and stepped closer to take the money from him, shoving it in her jacket pocket. His efforts to genuinely quit smoking were admirable if nothing else, and she had to be supportive of that however she could. 

Nuka nodded gratefully once Nita took the money from him.

"Thanks. As thanks, use the rest to get yourself something too," Nuka insisted with a kind grin, looking down to Kiona as his eyes skimmed over his vest, looking for the "Permission Required to Pet" patch vs his "Do Not Pet" patch. Once he caught the patch he was looking for, he reached over to give Kiona's head a soft pet; Nita hardly minded, it'd be another hour before he had to 'work' again. "Hey, you got any votes on who this 'Dragon of Wood's gonna be?"

Nita gave Nuka a snide half-shrug, rolled her eyes sarcastically and pointed at him in an effort at a teasing guess. Nuka shook his head and chuckled.

"Oh, God, not you too... Come on, I'm not suited for that kind of lifestyle. I'm more of an open-road kind of guy." He suddenly sat up and put his drink down on the end table, pointing up to her with a broad, excited grin. " _You_ might like something like this though, Nita! Up in the mountains, away from the big cities, quiet and contemplative. You probably grow your own food there! And God knows you could use some self-defense training, hah..."

Nita could only smile weakly and shrug. She knew Nuka meant it affectionately after they both heard their parents go on and on about how Nuka was 'obviously going to be the one due to his being the eldest' and how he'd 'finally stop being so much of a slacker'. Nita wasn't so self-centered to think she was the only one her parents' nonsense effected; she knew Nuka felt it too. Nuka was doing his best to cheer her up a little, and she had to admit, his spirits were somewhat infectious. Being around him always did make him feel a bit more relaxed.

It was then that Joseph Stellar, Aiyana's husband and Nita's brother-in-law, stepped out from down the hallway, stretching slightly. He was the only incredibly pale skinned, blonde-haired and blue-eyed in a sea of indigenous Natives, so he definitely stood out when he walked in the room. Once Joseph walked into the room, Nita could overhear the faint sounds of lullaby music playing from the guest room.

"Oof, finally got Rosie to lay down," he sighed in relief, looking over to Nita with a calm smile. "Heya, kiddo. Aiyanna already texted me. Ready to go get our shoppage on?"

Bouncing a little in excitement, Nita nodded fervently and tugged on Kiona's harness, hurrying for the door. Joseph couldn't help chuckling a little as he followed after her, grabbing his own wallet and keys from the end table and waving to his in-laws.

"We'll be back in a couple hours, guys!"

"Hae fun!"

* * *

Nighttime had fallen by the time Joseph and Nita made it back to the reservation. Once they had left the borders of the big city and made it back into the country, Nita and Kiona were able to leave the passenger's seat and climb into the back carriage of Joseph's bright red pick-up truck. All of her social energy exhausted, Nita strapped herself in and laid down with Kiona in the back. She always loved being able to lay down in the back with the blanket and pillow Joseph always had stored for her; resting in the quiet of nature, feeling the sway of the car gently turning and rolling over the dirt and gravel every so often, the cloudless night sky lit up by the glow of the moon and stars. It was one of the few times Nita ever got any real peace: Nighttime Naps.

She never truly nodded off, she just needed the rest until Joseph finally pulled to a stop and parked. She stretched slightly and sat up, looking over the edge to find Joseph had parked just a few yards away from her decent-sized, well-kept garden, protected by a wooden fence. Her eyes lit up and she hurried to undo her strap as she could overhear Joseph stepping out and coming around the back. She scooted closer to the back with Kiona and waited for Joseph to unlock and pull the back down before sliding out.

Once she and Kiona were on the ground, Joseph smiled brightly; it was then she noticed that his hands were behind his back, hiding something from her.

"Hey, so I know you've been complaining about having to carry all the berries by hand or in your pockets lately, so..." Joseph trailed off before pulling his hands out to reveal a pristine, white wicker basket. His face lit up when Nita gasped and straightened in surprise, and he quickly handed it off to her. "Me and Aiyanna got you one for berries and veggies! The veggies one is still at the house. We were gonna surprise you for your birthday, but this seemed like a good opportunity to try it out. Happy Early Birthday, hun."

Nita dropped Kiona's harness just long enough to wrap her arms around Joseph for a big, tight bear hug. She could always count on her brother-in-law to brighten her spirits. Once she pulled away, she hurried off to open the gate to her garden, moving past the rows of veggies to reach the berry bushes in the back. Kiona sat by the gate with Joseph, both of them patiently waiting for her.

Nita had to squat to reach the better berries. And she was right! All the blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries she planted with all perfectly ripe. All her hard work caring for them had paid off! It took her a few good minutes to pick all the ripe ones, but once she was finished, she had an almost full wicker basket. She couldn't help beaming with pride as she stood up and made her way back to the gate.

Closing the gate behind her, she hurried to put the basket down into the back of the pick-up truck before turning to Joseph and taking Kiona's leash from him.

_'I'm gonna walk back with Kiona. It's not too far away. I just need a bit of fresh air and quiet.'_

"Okay!" Joseph agreed with a thumbs up, closing the back of the truck and heading for the driver's side door. "I'll let everyone know you're walking. I'll get everything set up in the kitchen for ya, okay?"

Nita nodded in appreciation, her grip tightening on Kiona's leash as she watched Joseph hop into the driver's seat, start up the engine, and continue heading off down the road back home half a mile away. Taking a deep breath to breathe in the clean night air, she started down the road again with Kiona at her ankles. She was sure she had the time before company arrived for a quick walk, and besides, she really needed as much quiet as she was gonna get before she got home. Especially if she cut off from the main road and took her shortcut through the woods, laid out by colorful rocks and a makeshift path worn from years of constant walking.

Her mother always talked about how dangerous it was to walk the streets of the reservation at night, and maybe she might have been right. But she felt strangely at peace out here in nature, away from the house, just her, Kiona, the trees, and the warm nighttime breeze. The crickets chirped their usual nighttime song, the fireflies lit up the path with their inviting glow, and the creek further off into the woods churned peacefully in the distance. She stopped every once and a while to let Kiona dutifully sniff the flowers and leaves growing along the path, or do his business off to the side, but otherwise kept her pace steady.

She paused again when she noticed, in the corner of her eye, a large patch of a beautiful variety of wildflowers; Tiger Lillies, Lily of the Valleys, Morning Glories, Touch-Me-Nots, and many more all stood in bloom next to a very small pond - about the side of a dining room table - resting in the middle of the woodland creek, sparkling with the moonlight's evening glow. They weren't protected or fenced in like her garden, simply allowed to grow wild and free. The only signs of human interaction were the watering can resting beside the pond and the lack of weeds.

Smiling, Nita snapped for Kiona to lay down. He obeyed, and she hurried to gather the watering can, dipping it into the lake to grab some fresh water, and carefully splashing the water along the roots and soil where the flowers grew. Once she was finished, she put the watering can down again and sat down on the nearby stump of a cut tree next to Kiona, taking a minute to admire her years of hard work and breath in the sweet scent of her babies. She'd worked hard on her garden, but taking care of these wildflowers was oddly one of her biggest accomplishments to her. She felt more pride watching these little ones grow up than anything else she'd ever done with herself.

Sitting there amid her small family of flowers amidst the trees and by the pond, she felt true peace.

She sat up in sudden alertness when she heard the sounds of footsteps approaching from within the wood. Kiona sat up in alarm and looked off further inward, sniffing the air and positioning himself by Nita defensively--

"Nita!!"

Before either one could act or try to see who was coming, though, Nita flinched at the sudden sound of her mother calling for her echoing through the woods. She sounded both worried and pissed. Oh, god, she was in for it. But what had she done wrong?!

Her hands shaking as the anxiety rocked through her body, she grabbed Kiona's harness and made a mad dash for her house. It only took a minute or two to cut through the wood, cross the street, and make it to her front yard. There, her mother stood in the yard in front of the door, hands on her hips and fury fuming in her eyes. Nita halted at the sight, a sudden terror wracking through her. Her hands tightened on Kiona's harness, her knuckles turning almost white as Kiona's shoulders arched defensively.

When Cheyanne finally made eye-contact with her, she stormed over to Nita, firmly grabbing her by the arm and squeezing way too hard. 

Nita locked up, her eyes widened, her breathing hitched and her complexion paled. She could only half-hear her mother's voice when she spoke, and myriad of voices and images from the past interfering with her ability to process the present.

"What in the world were you doing out here on your own?! I told you to hurry! Do you have any idea what could have happened out there?!"

Nita's breathing quickened its pace; she couldn't come up with the words to respond, she could barely think. Her ears rung slightly as she could hear Kiona barking sharply and ramming his head into Cheyanne to try to get her to let go. At first, it didn't seem to work, as she just nudged him away with her leg and continued letting into her.

"You could have gotten mugged, or taken--o-or worse! What the hell were you thinking?! What if he'd come while you were gone and you--"

"N-N-N..."

Nita couldn't find the words to protest; her voice couldn't fully summon itself. What was she even trying to say? 'No'? 'Nuka'?

Why was she yelling at her? What did she do wrong...? What was going on?

"Mom!" Both Cheyanne's yelling and all the voices ringing out in Nita's mind's ear came to a halt when the front door flew open and Nuka came running out in a panic. He grabbed ahold of Cheyanne's arm and hand and forcibly pried her off of Nita, looking at her firmly as he pulled her away from him. "Mom, calm down. If you keep going like that, Kiona's gonna bite you."

"Oh, no, he's _not,_ " Cheyanne argued as she shook her arm out of his grip, glaring sharply at both him and Kiona, who continued to bark and growl at her protectively. "If he bites me or anyone in this family, he's getting _shot_ , you understand me?"

The word 'shot' caused a sharp, horrified whimper to make its way through Nita's throat. It was too much. Too much yelling, too much noise, too many threats, too much stress--

_Too much._

_It was just too much._

She let out a strong, loud whine, squatting down to the grass to partially curl her body up like a hedgehog-like ball, closing her eyes and covering her ears, her entire body shaking and rocking slightly. Her mind went blank save for the ringing in her ears and the half-scream leaving her stomach and chest. She couldn't hear Nuka had started calling for help her, or that Kiona had stopped barking, but she could feel his body nudging into hers as he tried to her under her arms and force his head against her chest. Her breathing dangerously fast, she had at least enough awareness to wrap her arms around his body and hide her head in his fur again.

"Mom, look, you're freaking Nita out. Just chill, relax. You're too wound up right now, just go inside and I'll getcha something to drink, okay?" Nuka pleaded with her as he kept himself in between the two, trying his best to smile and speak calmly to help her relax.

Unfortunately, it was to no avail as Cheyanne continued to try to side-step him, glaring up at him.

"Oh-ho, _yeah_ , you'd both like it if I met the man  _plastered_ , wouldn't you?"

"Mom, _no_ , God, that's not what I was--"

"Honey."

All fell quiet when the light from inside the house was clouded by the form of Denali "Ironcloud" Baker, a very tall, quiet but physically intimidating older man and the patriarch of the household. He was dressed rather casually compared to his wife, but his long dark hair was put up into a nice braid. A small soda in his hand, he looked between Nita and Cheyanne passively before landing on his wife. His gaze seemed to calm her a bit. 

"Let's not make a bigger deal out of this than we need to. Nita's back now. I'll talk to her later. Just come on inside and sit down for a few minutes, okay?" Was all he said before turning around and heading back inside.

Amazingly, it was all he _needed_ to say. Calmed down by her husband, Cheyanne huffed slightly and turned on her heel to storm back inside, leaving Nuka and Nita by themselves without another word. Nuka sighed heavily and rubbed the back of his neck, turning back to check on Nita. 

Nita remained frozen against Kiona, sitting now and scared to move. Her breathing had slowed, but was still fast and labored. She could hear Nuka move closer to her and kneel down beside her; she couldn't see him, but she could hear his kind smile.

"It's okay, Cubby, you're okay," he whispered comfortingly to her. "Let's get you inside for some DPT, okay?"

Nita could only whimper in the best form of acknowledgment she could as she let him pry her hands away from her ears, very gently taking her arms to help her stand up. He grabbed Kiona's leash and carefully slid it into her hands, which curled around it in a tight, shivering vice grip. Nuka sighed and delicately guided her inside, where Aiyanna was waiting.

As Nita slowly returned to her senses, however labored her breathing was, she noticed that the living room was mostly empty now. Her parents having disappeared to an unkown part of the house, the triplets and Enola had abandoned their game, meekly poking their heads out from around the corner to cautiously watch everything from the hallway. Even from there, even in her fragile state, she could feel their concern. They probably would have swarmed her asking if she was okay if Aiyanna likely hadn't told them not to. Nita could faintly overhear the sound of little baby Eliza crying from the other room; the poor thing was likely woken up by all the yelling. 

She let out another stressed whine as Nuka led her into the kitchen. It wasn't that well decorated or furnished and seemed relatively barren, but it at least had the basic appliances like a stove/oven, fridge, microwave and toaster, which was more than most families had on the reservation. Nuka helped her lean her back against the wall by the door and slide down to the floor.

Kiona immediately laid himself down in Nita's lap, leaning his weight into her as she wrapped her arms around him tightly and hid her face in his fur again. She could feel Nuka kneeling down beside her, helping to pull the hood of her jacket over her head to shield out the kitchen lights. She then felt the gentle pressure of him rubbing her back; both to comfort her and prevent him from bashing her head into the wall if she rocked too hard. 

"There ya go, just breath..." He murmured quietly.

Nita wasn't sure how long it took for her to calm down, she never had a good sense of time during moments like this... but it felt like forever until her breathing finally slowed down and the numbness began to subside a little. Her hands gripped and stroked at Kiona's fur as she began to rock her body unconsciously. Her senses began to return to her little by little, and she could hear Nuka and Aiyanna begin to talk beside her.

"She okay now?" Aiyanna asked in concern.

"Yeah, I think so... You talk to Mom and Dad?" 

"Yeah," Aiyanna huffed. "Didn't get anywhere. Mom's still pissing blood and Dad's... being Dad."

"Useless and drunk?"

"Basically."

"Well, at least he got mom to calm down, so... it's something... Me and Jo'll keep them out of the kitchen as long as we can. Hey, Nita?" 

Nita blinked when she heard her name being whispered to her, as though it summoned her back to whatever reality she had temporarily been brought to. She shook her head slightly and pulled her hood up, leaving Kiona's fur to meet with Nuka's encouraging smile.

"You need help stress-baking, kiddo?"

She glanced between the two of them; keeping their distance so as not to overwhelm her, but being present, being there for her. As her pulse started to slow down again, she sighed softly, smiling in appreciation to the two of them but shaking her head. As much as she appreciated the offer, at this point, social interaction was just too much for her. She just needed to be alone and be in her own space for a while. 

Nuka nodded in understanding, offering his hands to help her stand up. Nita accepted his help up off the ground and let him pull her up to her feet. He didn't wait for an explanation; he didn't seem to need one. He just smiled encouragingly.

"Alright, I getcha. Need to be alone for a while." Nuka chuckled quietly. "You need anything before we leave you to it?"

Water, but that was something Nita already had in her backpack, so she just shook her head. Nuka nodded one last time before turning around and heading out of the kitchen. Aiyanna looked towards Nita patiently and nodded over to the counter. 

"Joseph already laid out everything that wasn't fridge stuff for ya," she explained, prompting Nita to look over her shoulder to the pile of ingredients and the hand-written recipe all laid out for her by the stove-top. "Just holler if you need anything."

Finally a little more relaxed, Nita nodded in confirmation and watched Aiyanna follow Nuka out of the kitchen and back into the living room. She breathed out the rest of her tension and let go of Kiona's leash, hurrying over to the counter, tying back her hair with the hair tie in her pocket, pulling off her jacket and tossing it elsewhere. 

With everything quiet and at peace again, she cracked her knuckles and got to work.

* * *

Cobblers never took her long to make. Just a few minutes of stirring the blueberries with the sugar and blending the dry ingredients, and boom, into the oven it went. Once she closed the pre-heated oven, she sighed in satisfaction and glanced around to the rest of the kitchen, thankfully to have cleaned and picked up as she went. 

She hadn't noticed until she was finished, but once she looked to the door, she found her family in the other room setting up the living room for dinner. Even with all the additions Joseph and Aiyanna helped give them, their house still wasn't big enough to add on a dining room, so their living room had to double as their dining room most of the time. Nuka, the triplets and Enola were all situated on the sofa again and Denali laid back in his recliner as Aiyanna, Cheyanne, and Joseph got the large dining room table, chairs, and dinnerware set up. Nita eyed the new floral plates Aiyanna was setting out. She didn't recognize them... Were they new?

Everyone froze when there came a knock at the door. Her stomach knotted anxiously as Nita poked her head out to look towards the front door. She watched Denali slowly get up from his recliner and straighten his jacket on his way towards the door with Cheyanne. Nita tried to stay by the kitchen door as Denali went to open the front door, but once he opened it, she drew back instinctively. She hid in the corner out of sight and chose to simply listen.

"Ah, good evening. Can I help you?"

"Good evening, sir. My name is Master Fung, I am looking for the Baker household."

It was a voice she didn't recognize; the friendly, calm voice of an older man worn with age. Somehow, it felt as though something in the air shifted when Master Fung arrived. Her anxiety slowly melted just a little as she continued listening.

"That would be us, yes," Cheyanne greeted, in a far sweeter and friendlier tone than she ever spoke to Nita with. It took a trained ear to catch how fake it sounded. "Please come in, we are just about to have dinner if you would like to join us."

"We would be most honored, thank you."

Turning around and sliding down to the floor again, Nita beckoned Kiona to sit by her again. Kiona dashed over to her and laid his head down in her lap. Nita stroked her hand over his head as she leaned slightly to listen in on the conversation. She thought to go out there and at least sit down to wait for dinner, but...

No, he wouldn't have any interest in her, would he? She could eat after he left. She didn't wanna embarrass her family...

"This is my wife, Cheyenne, and my two eldest, Nuka and Aiyana, and her husband Joseph," Denali introduced cordially.

"It's so nice to meet you, Master Fung," Cheyanne continued sweetly. "We were so excited to get your letter. Aiyana, go get the kids."

"Gotcha. Jo, can you go get Eliza? She should be done with her nap by now..."

"Sure thing."

She could hear Joseph step out of the living room and into the hall again as everyone else began to sit down.

"Oooh, wow, what smells good?"

A new voice suddenly piped up in excitement and Nita sat up, brow perched in startled confusion as she heard Cheyanne gasp in alarm.

"Th-The snake spoke just now!"

"Ah, please, do not be alarmed," Master Fung eased Cheyanne's worries. "This is Dojo Kanojo Cho, our temple's guardian dragon. Dragons of his breed are blessed with the ability to communicate with humans."

Nita's eyes grew in wonder and awe. A _dragon_? A _real_ dragon? Oh, this she had to see--

But she paused again. Did she want to risk being spotted and called in? She wasn't sure if she was ready for that...

"And this dragon has to communicate that something smells  _delicious!_ "

"Oh, why thank you," Cheyanne cooed bashfully. "I prepared dinner myself, Aiyana and I'll be bringing it out in just a minute, once the potatoes are done cooking."

"And wait 'til you try my sister's blueberry cobbler, man," Aiyanna boasted confidently on Nita's behalf. "It's to die for."

" _Ooooh, yeah, blueberry cobbler..._ "

Nita had to stiffle her soft, appreciative and amused laugh with a hand. It was nice to hear that her blueberry cobbler was going to make _someone_ very happy tonight.

"Watch it, you're drooling," Nuka chuckled as Nita could overhear the babbling of Eliza at long last; Jo had finally returned with his infant daughter in his arms. "Anyway, she's in the kitchen making it right now, if you wanna meet her."

"If she--"

"I don't think she's good to face strangers right now. She's not much in the way of social interaction." Cheyanne interrupted rather hastily, causing Nita's smile to fall and her heart to sting a bit. "Besides, she's no one important, really. You wouldn't have much interest talking to her. Nuka's the one I'm sure you would have more interest in."

"...Oh my god." Nuka's voice became muffled, and Nita could tell he was rubbing his face in embarrassment at what Cheyanne had just said. "Mom. Please."

Nita couldn't help rolling her eyes this time. Well, at least she didn't have to worry about being the most embarrassing one tonight. 

"Hm... Might you humor me for a moment? If she would not mind."

"I can go see if she's okay to come out. She _is_  kind of shy around strangers,"

Nita sat up, on high alert now that the focus had shifted to her, and she looked up with worry and concern as Aiyanna entered the kitchen. Aiyanna looked around for a second until she found her, and she knelt down to meet Nita at her level, her eyes kind and patient.

"Master Fung's here. But I guess you already heard," she quipped lowly under her breath. "You wanna come talk to him? I can translate sign for you."

Nita swallowed hard and looked down to Kiona for a moment, her hands gripping at his fur again. As much as she dreaded facing a martial arts master as weak and handicapped as she was, she supposed it was bound to happen at some point, and there was no sense in putting it off. She let out a heavy sigh before slowly nodding, earning a playful ruffle of her hair again from Aiyanna.

"Good girl. Don't worry about Mom, Nuka's as done with her as you and I are."

Nita stiffled another giggle as she shook her head in amusement, slowly standing up and turning around to follow Aiyanna out into the living room with Kiona's leash in hand. 

The moment she made that first initial eye-contact with Master Fung, her eyes fell to the floor and she suddenly felt so small. He had an air of wisdom, power, and tranquil authority to him that was somehow both soothing and overwhelming. Her face flushed, unable to find her voice or look back up to him again. Next to everyone else - able-bodied, able to speak, physically and mentally healthy, not needing a service animal or a million things like her - and next to a Martial Arts Master and a mythical dragon...

She couldn't help feeling broken. Like only half of a person compared to them.

"This is Nita, the brain mama of that killer cobbler you're smelling right now," Aiyanna introduced with a bright smile as she wrapped her arms around Nita again, who flinched and anxiously looked back up to Master Fung in an effort to not appear rude. "And that's her service dog, Kiona."

"Hm..." Master Fung wordlessly examined her for a moment, his eyes kind and gentle as he smiled slightly and nodded in recognition. "...Ah, yes. I believe I have seen her and her companion before. A short while ago, out in the forest. We nearly crossed paths before she ran home."

Nita's eyes grew again in amazement. She had completely forgotten about the footsteps of a stranger she had heard when she visited her little flower bed on the way home, but since Master Fung brought it up, it all came back to her in that instance. That was him? Oh, shoot, he didn't overheard Cheyanne yelling or Nita's meltdown had he?

Well, if he had, he didn't let on. He just gave her another patient smile.

"We had come across your crop garden and your flower bed on the road to your home. Your garden is quite lovely," he complimented politely "It is clearly very well cared for."

Nita could feel the heat return to her face, but it wasn't an overwhelmed or embarassed blush; it was a flattered, bashful one this time. A meek smile returning to her face, she nodded in appreciation and instinctively signed a brief 'thank you' to him. Though she could feel a harsh look coming from her mother, Aiyanna laughed softly and opted to take over.

"She says thank you," she explained as she turned around to start heading back into the kitchen. "Why don't you sit down while I get everyone something to drink, hm?"

She was in the kitchen before anyone to provide her with an answer, but it seemed an answer wasn't necessary. Nuka slowly stood up and squirmed past the children, waving for Nita to come over and take his place. Nita nodded in understanding and hurried around the table to the sofa. She and everyone else quickly took their seats, Nita patting the sofa for Kiona to jump up and lay down. 

"So, Master Fung, you were going to divulge more specific details about this offer you're proposing to one of our children?" Cheyanne asked politely as she settled down in her seat.

"Who IS the Dragon of Wood anyway?" Nuka couldn't help piping up on a certain nervous edge to his tone.

"I am not sure. Only Dojo can sense the energy of a Xiaolin Dragon," Master Fung explained before turning to glance to Dojo, who slid down from off of his shoulders and onto the table. "Dojo?"

"Eeeeh... I dunno. There's a lot of people in here and the Wood energy moves like molasses," Dojo muttered, eyes squinting as he did a careful scan of everyone around him. "Might take me a while to piece together which one it is."

"Well, regardless of who in your family is the Xiaolin Dragon of Wood, all who are over the age of 13 are welcome to join our temple," Master Fung assured them, patiently folding his hands in his lap.

Though the younger children moaned in disappointed due to their age, Nita's eyes alit with hope and excitement, and bounced slightly in her seat and looked up to Aiyanna as she was returning with a tray of drinks of everyone. Once she had Aiyanna's attention, she nodded to Master Fung with as pleading of a look as she could, and thankfully, Aiyanna seemed to get the hint and glanced over to Master Fung.

"Oh, that's such a relief," Aiyanna sighed as she started passing everyone cups around. "Nita was hoping to ask a few questions. She's been interested in the Xiaolin lifestyle since we got your letter."

"Ah, how wonderful." Master Fung's smile seemed so genuine when he heard of Nita's sincere interest in their lifestyle, as he looked out towards the entirety of their family. "Please, allow me to explain the full extent of what pertains to becoming a Xiaolin monk, then you may ask anything you wish to know."

As Cheyanne and Aiyanna both set themselves to serving dinner for everyone, Nita listened intently as Master Fung proceeded to explain everything that the position of a Xiaolin Monk would entail, as he did with Kimiko, Grace, and Clay before. The more she listened, the more drawn in she felt to the idea. It all sounded so wonderful; peace and quiet up in the mountains, a structured and fair schedule, a small organized place to sleep... learning martial arts, making friends... She could hardly believe the possibility had really just lept out in front of her like this; it all felt too good to be true.

It was only when he got to the part about having to be willing to fight against 'great evil' that set her on edge. He wasn't very specific on what kind of 'evil' it was, just that Heylin forces have been foretold to arise in all shapes and sizes, and while it was unlikely to come up in her lifetime, she had to be willing to face that one day if it did. That was the one thing she wasn't anticipating. She twisted her fork around in her hand nervously for a moment, that niggling voice in the back of her head asking if she was prepared to become any kind of warrior.

She thought glancing over to her mother by accident would have robbed her of any resolve she may have had. But strangely, noticing the strangely satisfied smirk on Cheyanne's face, filled with pure spite... Somehow, it only made Nita even more sure that even if this wasn't an ideal ssituation, she needed to get out of here through any means necessary.

Glaring down to her food for a second, she looked back up to Master Fung and nodded in understanding. Master Fung returned her nod with one of his own.

"Is there anything else you would like to--"

_ding_

"Don't get up, Nita, I'll get that for ya!"

Before Nita could even think to force Kiona away and get up herself, Nuka jumped up from his spot and made a mad dash for the kitchen. Nita smiled weakly, catching onto Nuka's attempts to keep her and Master Fung together as much as possible. Sighing softly, she put her fork down, looked over to Aiyanna, and kept her hands low to the table as she signed as best as she could. She could catch Cheyanne rolling her eyes in her peripheral, but Aiyanna just nodded in understanding.

"Nita wants to know if she could take Kiona if she were to come," Aiyanna asked Master Fung with a quizzical but hopeful look.  "He's very well behaved and well-trained, he wouldn't be any trouble for you."

Master Fung's smile was warm and patient as he looked back to Nita to answer her question directly. Nita's brow rose in surprise when he did this; usually, whenever Aiyanna spoke for her, they would talk to Aiyanna like Nita wasn't there. But Master Fung was speaking directly to her... that was what normal people did, right?

"The Xiaolin do not believe in limiting our way of life and beliefs to only those who are fully abled; our temple is open to all," Master Fung assured her compassionately. "If she wishes to come, she would be allowed to bring him. However, training and learning in our temple would work to slowly encourage independence away from him over time. When she is ready, of course."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Nita leaned back into the sofa, giving him a small, appreciative smile in response. She could understand that her training would likely require weaning off of Kiona eventually, at least when it came to fighting, but at least she could still have him when she needed her. It was very gracious of him to consider.

Cheyanne adjusted herself in her chair uncomfortable as she took a sip of her drink, giving Aiyanna a sharp look through the corner of her eye.

"Why're you bringing it up? Nita's not going anywhere."

Aiyanna massaged her brow in frustration, giving her mom a very critical look. Noticing the irritation on both of their faces, Nita shrunk back.

"Well, she's clearly _thinking_ about it," She argued, doing her best to keep her tone even and patient.

"Well, she needs to stop thinking about it, because she's not going," Cheyanne insisted, her head held up with pride and resistance.

Nita wasn't sure what possessed her to sit up, stab at her beef and let out a small indignant grunt. It was all she could do to voice her rising agitation at her mother's behavior towards her but to even get _that_ heated was so... unlike her. Cheyanne whirled around to look to her with an offended look, and while ever fiber of Nita's being screamed at her to jerk back and look away, something in her rose up to force her to stand her ground. 

Could Master Fung pick up on this? Probably, but she couldn't stay quiet this time. She was so sick of being spoken about in such a controlling was, she couldn't help maintaining her glare at her mother even as Nuka hurried out of the kitchen with a finished cobbler held in his mitt-covered hands. 

"He-Hey! Who wants cobbler?!" Nuka announced with a nervous chuckle as he set the cobbler down in the middle of the table.

Nita breathed out her irritation as the children around her and even Dojo all gave out hoops, hollers and cheers. As upset as she was, it did make her smile to see her dessert making them all so happy.

"Oh, heck yeah! Cobbler me, baby!" Dojo declared, wrapping a napkin around his neck and holding up his tiny plate to await some of the fruity dessert.

"Careful, dragon-buddy, it's still hot," Nuka laughed as he served Dojo a big, steamy slice of cobbler. "Master Fung? Cobbler?"

"Yes, please," Master Fung accepted gratefully.

Watching her creation being passed around and nibbled on with such delight brought a strange sort of joy to Nita's soul. That was what she loved about baking and cooking; it always made the people around her so happy, which she greatly prefered to making everyone miserable all the time. Even her mother started to relax a little as she dove in. Seizing the opportunity, Nita looked to Master Fung again and signed for Aiyanna to translate.

"You mentioned wearing a gi during training and while living in the temple," Aiyanna recalled, tapping her fork against her plate absentmindedly. "Could those be customized for comfort? Nita's a little particular about her clothing."

"While we would encourage sticking closely with the uniform, gis can always be adjusted for the warrior's comfort."

Awesome, another point for the temple.

"Would she need to learn another language?"

"The temple offers lessons in both spoken and written Chinese for all who train and live within our temple," "They are optional but highly encouraged. I assure you, however, that everyone there speaks fluent English."

"Which doesn't matter in her case, because Nita's not going," Cheyanne intercut again, earning another frustrated groan from Aiyanna and another embarrassed glare from Nita.

"Mom, _please_..." Aiyanna moaned into her hand, at a loss for words.

"Come on, Mom, be reasonable. I don't see any reason why she _shouldn't_ go,"Nuka protested slightly with a passive shrug.

"She's just not cut out for that kind of thing. I mean, look at her," Cheyanne insisted with a wave over to Nita, causing Nita to lurch back with an offended look of her own. "She can't talk, she needs a million medications for A, B, C, and D--"

"Actually, it's only, like, two--" Nuka muttered in reminder, but didn't get the chance to finish as Cheyanne just kept going.

"--she needs her headphones and laptop for everything, and I doubt there's internet up there--"

"Not presently, however one of our students will be establishing wireless connection to allow our students to continue their education online."

Nita let out a stressed sigh and hid her eyes in her hand. At least Master Fung was on her side so far... Which was more than she could say for her trash-talking mother and her father sitting silently next to her, just sipping his drink and letting all of this play out. As the arguing carried on, everything suddenly started to feel a little louder to her; certain sounds and annunciations began to hit the ear very unpleasantly. What she wouldn't give for her earbuds...

"--just look at her; she's so ridiculously frail. She'd just leave the second she got hurt."

"Mom, if getting hurt once was enough to make her leave a place, she'd have left THIS place a long damn time ago."

"Don't even, Aiyana."

"Well, I mean, sure she's frail, but that's why she should go," Nuka tried to insist a little more delicately, trying to find a fair compromise. "It'd toughen her up. Give her some space to sort stuff out with herself."

"May I ask how old she is?" Master Fung asked.

"17 right now, but she'll be 18 next month," Joseph answered.

"I see..." Master Fung hummed softly as he stroked his beard for a moment, and Nita looked up to gauge his reaction, eyes glimmering with hope and pleading to just... let her have this. "In that case, as she would be of age before the expected starting date of training, we would not require parental permission for her to join our temple. If she wishes to."

Nita sighed in relief again, thanking the Lord above that Master Fung was starting to catch on to what was going on. This probably wasn't even the full policy, he was probably bending things just a little, but it was for her sake. She actually had someone outside of family looking out for her...

"With all due respect, sir, even if she IS almost _legally_ an adult, I don't think she's in the proper state of mind to be making adult decisions," Cheyanne insisted with a small shake of her head, leaning in to whisper this time. "She's _mentally_ _impaired_ , you know."

Nita's body grew stiff, but not in the same way it had before from anxiety and stress. No, this time, it was a hot tension. She glanced over to her mother with probably more outrage than she'd ever really shown another person. She may not have dropped the 'A' word, but she'd basically just acted like Nita was borderlining on mental retardation. Could Nita argue that she was impaired? No, but she wasn't nearly as impaired as Cheyanne was making it out to be. 

Her hands tightened around the table-cloth as she fought to repress yelling out in anger. Nothing intelligible would have come out, but she still had to hold back the noises she would have made. Aiyanna seemed to pick up on Cheyanne's implications too, glaring at Cheyanne and folding her arms tightly.

"Mom, can we not do this at the dinner table while we have company, please?" 

"Technically it's our living room."

"That's not the point, Nuka."

Nita's eyes began to sting, straining against tears filled with hurt. She wasn't going to cry in front of Master Fung, but her throat started to close up as the heat rose through her body. She couldn't believe her mother was doing this again... Her hands instinctively shoved themselves over her ears as she began to rock back and forth again, her breathing hitching.

"She can't do anything by herself, she always needs someone to go shopping with her--Nita, stop rocking, sit up straight like a grown up--"

"Oh my _god_ , will you _stop_?!" Nita whined sharply, her face scrunching when Aiyanna suddenly jumped up from her seat and slammed her hands down on the table, her fury at Cheyanne's behavior growing. "Who _cares_ if she rocks! She's not hurting anyone, Mom, leave her be for ten seconds, would you?!"

Nita covered her ears tighter, trying hard to block out the arguing that broke out between Cheyanne and Aiyanna. Everything was muffled, she could only hear bits and pieces as Joseph and Nuka got involved; the men trying hard to refuse the situation while the women just kept barking and yelling at each other. Even the children were starting to grow uncomfortable, sliding further in their seats while baby Eliza started to wail from all the noise.

Then it dawned on her. 

Master Fung was still there.

Watching all of this happened.

Something in her brain shifted, as though a light switch had been turned on, quelling the noise in her mind. She opened her eyes and took her hands off her ears, her eyes darting to Master Fung. She could pick up on his own discomfort as he uncomfortably sipped on his drink and Dojo just ignored everything going on by digging into more of the cobbler. Nita forced eye-contact with Master Fung, and she could see it: the discomfort ebbing into something gentler... 

Sympathy.

He knew.

Taking a deep breath, Nitamaintained eye-contact as best as she could, pointed to herself, then Master Fung, then towards the hallway. Further down the hall was the sliding glass door into the backyard, and while being without her translator was going to make communicating much more difficult for her, she  _needed_  to be able to talk to him without her family butting in and talking over her every two minutes. She  _needed_  the noise to stop.

And Master Fung seemed aware of this to a certain degree, nodding and putting down his drink. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and slowly stood up. When he stood, all the noise came to a halt and all eyes fell onto him again. Nita took that as her cue to stand up with him, grbabing ahold of Kiona's leash and urging him to get off the sofa.

"Please excuse us for a moment."

Nita hurried around the table to make a break for the hallway with Kiona. She could hear Master Fung following calmly behind her, as well as Cheyanne standing up from her seat and calling after her.

"Nita! Nita come back here!"

Under any other circumstance, Nita may have stopped. Hearing her mother call for her always made her freeze in her tracks and return to her verbal thrashing. But not tonight. Nita swallowed back her usual cowardice, glaring ahead as she simply walked faster. If she didn't make it to the door soon, her rebellious energy might have been exhausted before she made it out.

"Nita Moonbeam Bear, don't you walk away from me while I'm talking to you!"

"Mom, will you please calm down? You're being ridiculous..." 

"Ridiculous?! I'm not letting her sabotage this for Nuka--"

"Sabotage WHAT? Something I don't even want?!"

Nita darted down the hallway and threw open the sliding glass door, jumping out into the fenced in backyard as the yelling soon faded behind her. She let go of her held in breath and tried to recover her oxygen, her hands shivering a little as she tried hard to process what just happened.

She had just disobeyed her mother.

Where had that sudden strength come from?

She turned around when Master Fung closed the sliding glass door behind them, muffling the rest of the fighting as he approached her calmly with his hands folded within his large sleeves. Nita looked up to him as her strength and fire faded into a look of apology, before she sighed and turned around to make for the gate that led into the woods behind the house. She swallowed hard, working consciously to force herself to speak.

"...I...I-I-I'm...I-I'm.. so...s-so-sorry... ab-abo-about them..."

"It is alright," Master Fung assured her, following her out of the gate after she opened it and walked out herself. "You are not at fault."

It was always embarrassing not being able to talk properly, and even then Nita felt the heat rise through her chest again as she struggled to speak. But the heat began to die down just as quickly as it had risen; she could sense Master Fung's patience with her. He didn't seem to mind that it took her a good deal of effort and time to properly form her sentences, which was a big relief. Master Fung was so good on her nerves so far.

After a few seconds of breathing through her nerves, she came to walk beside Master Fung instead of leading him along through the thriving woods, looping the leash around her wrist as she anxiously played with her sleeves and her eyes danced around the dirt path.

"...C-...C-Can... I... r-re-really come?" She murmured in a meek bunny whisper. "Ev... Eve-Even if I'm... n-not the-the-the, uhm... Dra-Dragon?"

"Of course," Master Fung assured her kindly. "Our temple is open to all who wish to learn our ways, or simply seeks shelter. Do you wish to come to our temple?"

Oh, god, that was a lot to unpack. A simple 'yes' would probably have been a sufficient answer, but somehow, a 'yes' carried so much weight to it. Well, it probably didn't actually carry that much weight, but it certainly felt like it did... She winced uncomfortably, a genuine fear touching her expression now.

"...I... I-I-I-I... wa-want... t-to. Don't... want-t-t to.. b-be... here... an-any-anymore... But... M-Mom's... ri-right... I'm t-... t-too weak... a-and... fr-frail f-...f-f-for that... I-I would... f-fall... be-behind ever-everyone e-else... I... ha-have... to-...t-t-too many... ne-needs... I'd... be... be-be too much of... of-of a burden... o-on you all..."

"Hm..."

Master Fung paused in thought for a moment before stopping in his stride. It took Nita a second to realize he had stopped, and when she did, she stopped and turned around to face him with a bewildered expression. She looked up to him and found his gaze to her was warm and compassionate for a moment, before his eyes turned to the trees.

"If I may be permitted to ask you a question: Do you suppose that all of these trees grew at the same rate? Or that the flowers all blossomed at once?" Nita blinked, taking a quick look around the forest with him as Master Fung gestured towards the trees and foliage around them. "Have those flowers and berry blossoms in your garden not weathered thunderstorms? Blizzards? Have not the trees themselves when they were but young sprouts? And how long do you suppose it took for these mighty oaks to grow from those tiny sprouts? 30 years? 40? 50?"

It didn't take a genius to figure out where Master Fung was going with his analogy. Her brow bounced in realization and she looked to Master Fung again, her heart swelling with... something. It was some kind of emotion, but it was foreign to her. Gratitude? Hope?

...

No, wait. Master Fung was looking to her with something else, now, and she knew what it was.

Faith.

The feeling she was feeling was a quiet elation that someone had genuine faith in her

"It does not matter how long it may take. For some, it may take but three or five years. For some... it may take decades. Your own personal journey has no time table or deadline."

Nita could hardly believe what she was hearing for a minute. Master Fung genuinely wanted her to come and had faith that she would grow into her abilities one day. He didn't look at her and see a broken charity case, he saw a capable young woman who just needed a lot of extra help. 

"...a-and... m-my... voice...?" She murmured, fingers pawing at her throat nervously.

"Many warriors in training that have trained at the temple have taken a personal, voluntary vow of silence. It matters not how you communicate with us. All will need to adapt with time. Nothing is prohibiting you from coming to our temple," Master Fung assured her before his brow rose at her. "Save, perhaps... your own lack of conviction."

And then it hit her. Nita had all the power in the world to leave on her own accord. She always felt like her mother held a vice grip on her, but... that couldn't have been further from the truth. Not anymore, anyway. Nita was a young adult; impaired though she was, she was still of sound mind, she still had agency over herself. It was her choice what to do with her life, not Cheyanne's. Her brow furrowed aain as her eyes wandered skyward.

"What do you choose?

Letting go of the leash and trusting Kiona would stay, Nita slowly wandered to one of the trees, her fingers tracing along the grooves of the bark in thought. No matter how she felt about her mother, or her father, or her family, or even herself, she had to face the facts: She wasn't thriving here. If anything, she was slowly dying here. All her life, she thought she might just end up staying here, slowly withering until she finally died, having accomplished and done nothing beyond being there for her parents.

But that wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to grow, she wanted to thrive; see the world beyond her little bubble, maybe become someone she could actually be proud of. Maybe there wasn't a lot she liked about herself, maybe she was a very weak-willed and fragile person. But more than anything, she genuinely wanted to believe that maybe she could change that someday. Become a better person.

And she wasn't going to accomplish that by staying here. Even if she wasn't the Dragon of Wood, she had an opportunity, and she would only be doing herself a disservice by passing it up.

Taking another deep breath and shoving down the rest of her anxiety and nerves, she nodded and turned to look to Master Fung directly now, with far more conviction than she'd probably ever displayed before.

"...g-...g-going. I-I'm... g-going. I-I don't... kn-know... h-ho-how... to... pro-protect... m-myself... s... s-so... I... I want... w-want to learn. I-I wa...wa-want to change... a-and grow. I-...I-I can-can't... do that he-here. Pl... Please... le-let me come an... an-and... help me be be-better."

Master Fung smiled and nodded down to her, his hand finding a place on her shoulder.

"We would gladly welcome you within our temple, whether you are the Dragon or Wood or not. Come. I am sure you will need to prepare, and Dojo will likely have connected with the Dragon of Wood by the time we return."

Finally able to smile again, Nita nodded in agreement and appreciation and grabbed ahold of Kiona's leash. With newfound energy, she darted back down the path and back to the gate into the yard, Master Fung close behind her.

* * *

The fighting was still going n by the time they got back. Joseph and Nuka seemed to have given up and let the two yell out their issues, the children had huddled together on the sofa and started playing a handheld game together to drown it all out, and Dojo just simply continued snacking on food from his spot in Master Fung's chair while he watched all this unfold.

Master Fung and Nita both exchanged exasperated looks as Master Fung returned to his seat. Instead of going back to her seat, Nita stayed close by Master Fung, if only for protection for when she dropped the bombshell on her mother. Dojo took a breif glance up at her; it was a mix of amusement and deadpanned discomfort.

"Yeesh, are they always like this?"

Nita could only provide him with a helpless, apologetic shrug and an unfortunate nod. Master Fung seemed ready to speak up and quell the fighting, but as he opened his mouth, Dojo suddenly sat up, dropping his food as his whole body twitched and spasmed. Nita flinched and took a step back as everyone suddenly stopped and looked to him in surprise.

"WOAH-HO-HEY-THERE!"

Master Fung seemed to deflate in relief as he sat back down in his chair.

"Ah. Have you connected with the Dragon of Wood, Dojo?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I can feel it! Hoof, and it's powerful too... This is probably the most ingrained spirit of Wood I've felt in maybe... 700 years! Where's it coming from...?"

The air in the room became thick with anticipation and anxiety. Everyone held their breath as Dojo took a quick look around the room to try to determine who the energy was emanating off of, his eyes narrowed sharply. He took a brief look between Nuka, Aiyana, and Nita for a moment, humming quietly before his eyes finally landed on Nita and he pointed directly at her.

"You!" He paused, snapping his fingers slightly. "Uh...Name again?"

"N-Nita." 

"Nita! Right. Nita. You're the Dragon of Wood. Congrats, kid."

Nita's eyes widened and she audibly gasped, dropping Kiona's leash in shock. The triplets and Enola all shot up in excitement and let out a chorus of cheers, climbing out of the sofa to dash over and wrap their little arms around her legs. Aiyanna let out a strong yell of delight and came over to wrap her arms around Nita in a big, excited hug, while Nuka, completely overjoyed shot up from his chair. Cheyanne slowly and quietly fell back into her chair, brow furrowed in genuine confusion.

"Oh, my gosh, it's you, Nita! This is incredible, I can't believe it!" Aiyanna cheered, absolutely over the moon as she ruffled Nita's hair.

"YES! I DON'T HAVE TO GO TO CHINA!" Nuka hollered, pumping his arms victoriously as he rushed over to join in on the group hug/smother-fest; it normally would have been overwhelming for Nita, but somehow, a combination of the shock, relief, and joy flooding into Nita's heart only made her appreciate her siblings' support even more... they were so genuinely happy for her... "Way to go, Cubby! You get to go become a cool Dragon, I can go back out on the road with my bros, everyone's a winner!"

"But that... That doesn't make any sense," Cheyanne finally murmured, earning everyone's attention again as she leaned forward. "Why would you choose _her_ to try to become some kind of warrior? Why _her_ over Nuka?"

"Ah, but it is not something I nor Dojo can choose, nor anyone," Master Fung explained, his smile both patient and yet strangely satisfied. "It is simply something that someone is granted from birth by the ever-unpredictable wheel of fate."

At a complete loss for words, Cheyanne just fell back into her chair, mouth agape. She turned to her husband and waved an arm towards the group.

"D-Denali, say something to them!"

Denali didn't respond. He simply mumbled something under his breath and took a slow sip of his drink. Cheyanne grunted and rubbed her face in frustration as Master Fung turned to Nuka now.

"He is still free to join us if he wishes, of course."

"I'm honored by your offer, sir, but I'm gonna pass," Nuka declined with a soft smile and a shake of his head, arm still wrapped around Nita. "I respect the lifestyle and I think it'd suit my little sister well, it's just not for me."

"As you wish," Master Fung conceded with a respectful bow to him before turning back to Nita. "And you have already expressed wishes in joining us in Beijing, correct?"

"She doesn't know what she's getting into, she's in no position to make any kind of decisions for herself," Cheyanne tried to argue again, standing back up from her chair and attempting to cut into Nita with her critical gaze.

Nita hardly even felt her hand smack down on the table. One minute her eyes were drawing narrow towards her mother and her hand was beginning to curl into a fist; the next, her palm was flat on the handmade wooden table and stung from rapid contact. Cheyanne wasn't the only one who flinched in surprise; even Aiyanna, Nuka and Joseph jumped back from Nita's unexpected show of assertiveness.

"I-I-I'm not... _Not_... St-stu- _ **stupid**_ ," Nita grunted in irritation, her face scrunching up and her eyes continuing to narrow. "H-He... tol-told me... wh-wha-what I'm ge-get-getting... in-into. And I w-wa-want... to go. I'm a... an-and adult, I-I can... ma-make... my own dec-cisions... S-So I'm going."

In spite of her stern, forceful expression, Nita's body still shivered and tightened, anticipating the absolute worst from her stubborn show of rebellion. Her heart pounded inside her ears and she had to consciously steady her breathing . She fully expected her mother to yell at her, or slap her. But perhaps it was the pressure of having company there that caused Cheyanne to simply sit back, mouth still slightly agape until her lips pursed to hold back several vile words. 

Heaven only knew what Cheyanne was going to say. After a few silent seconds passed, Denali reached over and laid one very large, calloused hand on his wife's shoulder, earning her attention. His look was as hard to read as ever; still as stoic and neutral as he always was.

"Cheyanne, we don't need to be getting into any more arguments while we still have company. We'll talk about it later," he murmured to her insistently before turning to look to Master Fung, his expression and tone becoming more apologetic now. "Would you mind, sir, if we took the night to speak to our daughter privately first? We'd like to discuss this as a family before any final decisions are made."

It was obvious, based on how Master Fung straightened his stance and looked down to Denali with a furrowed brow, that something about the way Denali said that sounded... off to him. Nita watched her siblings glance to one another in uncertainty and her own brow pinched worriedly. They were all picking up on something about her father's tone that she wasn't. After a moment, though, Master Fung relaxed slightly and nodded respectfully to him.

"Of course. The Xiaolin have always taught respect for our elders," Master Fung agreed as he slowly stood up from his chair and scooped Dojo into his arms, lingering only long enough for Dojo to grab one more roll and one last big handful of cobbler. "I will find lodging for the night and shall return in the morning for your final answer."

"That should be plenty of time. Thank you, sir."

Master Fung made it all the way to the door before pausing and turning around to face the Baker family. Although, Nita's hands tightened on Kiona's holster as Master Fung's eyes made contact with hers. He seemed to be considering something for a moment, gave her what he hoped was an assuring and confident nod, then turned to regard the rest of the family one last time.

"Your hospitality has been most appreciated. Thank you for welcoming us into your home. We shall return in the morning," Master Fung finally bid farewell, folding his hands within his sleeves and giving them all a deep, respectful bow. "Good night."

"Good night, Master Fung," Denali responded with a deep, reciprocating bow of his own.

Aiyanna hurried to the door as Master Fung finally turned towards it. She opened up the door for him and gave him a small smile and wave as he at least exited. Aiyanna let out a sigh of relief as she shut the door and locked it, and Nita followed her worried gaze up to their father. 

Nita looked up to her father with a confused pinch in her brow as Denali looked down to her rather passively. His hands were flexing in that way they always did when he was about to do something with them, but she couldn't possibly fathom what exactly he was preparing to do when he looked to her so neutrally and calmly.

"Nita, I'd like to have a word with you in private, please."

Nita felt a shiver run down her spine and her blood ran cold. It wasn't his expression, it was his tone. There was a coldness to it that rung all too familiarly to her; sour displeasure that made her stomach churn and the younger children shudder and whimper before backing out of the room. It always had that effect on them all. For half a second, a bolt of panic shot through her chest as she strained to figure out how to respond. Go with him? Refuse? Storm off to her room and get ready to leave? 

Her eyes bolted to Aiyanna in a blind, dazed panic, and Aiyanna could only give her that sympathetic, understanding nod, bringing up her hands to quickly sign to her. Aiyanna did her best to hide her hands out of her parents' line of vision while Nita turned her head to focus.

_'Don't worry, Cubby. Joe will be right behind you.'_

Nita didn't trust her father with whatever private conversation he wanted to have, but she _did_ trust Joseph to look out for her. She slowly took a deep breath and turned back up to Denali with the sternest look she could muster, nodding in silent agreement as her hands tightened on Kiona's leash.

Besides, whatever unpleasant conversation Denali was about to drag her into, it was one she knew she needed to have.

She had to stand up for herself.

She had to be respectfully firm with her parents.

She had to be strong. 

It was the only way she was going to get somewhere safer.

Besides... with Joseph and Kiona there, Denali couldn't do anything _too_ bad to her.

She was gonna be okay.

...Right? 


End file.
